In the wake of George Floyd’s death and community uprisings, West Sider Leah Mathiason saw mutual aid efforts springing up across the Twin Cities that inspired her – and she wanted to act. As dozens of volunteers coordinated donations for thousands of nonperishable food items, Leah wondered, what about access to fresh food?
That’s how the West Side’s “FreeSA” was born. Riffing on produce exchange programs known as “CSA” (which stands for community-supported agriculture), the FreeSA project provided free fresh fruit and vegetables to West Siders at Parque Castillo on Sundays from August through September. “I’m inspired by communities who look out for each other,” Leah explains. “This project was just a small action to promote resilience in the community I care about.”
FreeSA grew and evolved each week. First Acre Farms, a vendor at the West Side Farmers Market, kicked off the project with a major produce donation. West Side gardeners shared vegetables, herbs, flowers, jelly, pickles, and more. West Side Seed Library organized a plant and seed exchange, and volunteers used the FreeSA as an opportunity to collect coats, hats, boots, and scarves to share with neighbors as temperatures dropped.
Have ideas for next year’s FreeSA? Send them to [email protected].
FreeSA was located in a high-traffic area of Parque Castillo. People stopped by on their way to and from the bus stop or La Clinica, curious about what was on offer. Neighbors bonded over gardening tips and got inspired to grow their own food.
Leah says the project helped her feel hope, connection, and purpose in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and a nationwide reckoning with the impacts of racism and police violence in our communities.
“I kept thinking to myself, ‘Why haven’t I done something like this before? Why haven’t I taken more action to address problems in my community?’ But we have to take those feelings and do something with them,” Leah explains. “We’ve been so isolated from each other because of the pandemic and so disconnected in a time when it feels urgent to reach out to each other. This produce exchange was one small way to do that.”
When Leah got the idea for the FreeSA, she knew she needed support to make it happen. She reached out to a neighbor who suggested Leah contact West Side Community Organization (WSCO). Just a few days after talking to Ellie Leonardsmith, WSCO’s Health and Environmental Justice organizer, Leah and Ellie set up the first FreeSA produce stand in Parque Castillo.
Leah encourages other West Siders to reach out to WSCO for support and as a platform to share ideas. “If you have an idea, something you’d like to see addressed on the West Side, WSCO is approachable and community-minded,” she explains. “You can submit a contact form on their website and a real person will reach out to talk. Just go and listen to WSCO’s West Side Voices meetings each month. When you’re comfortable, bring up your idea.”
Leah is a gardener, a mom, a chicken keeper, and one of the founders of the West Side Farmers Market. She’s been a public defender and doula. Now, she runs a nonprofit that provides healthcare to people in Haiti. In the midst of all that, she says that she’s energized by the work she does with neighbors on the West Side.
“Everybody’s got a role to play, and sometimes it takes time to figure out your role and what you have to offer,” Leah says. “I was overthinking it so much, and then it just came to me. This is something that I’m good at. This is what I enjoy. This is what I have to share.”
Have ideas for next year’s FreeSA? Send them to [email protected].