Could it be... Progress?!

First I have to start by saying "Thank You" to my employer, Cat, for allowing me to take the call this morning... I was supposed to start working at 9am ;]

On my day off Wednesday, I had a phone conference with a woman named Julie who works for the Phoenix Philanthropy Group. She had TONS of advice for me, and she maybe even sounded a little worried for me... BUT, rather than getting discouraged, I simply continued chugging along, calling everyone on Julie's "Connections" list for me. I am so glad that I did...

She had me call several people, all of whom were eager to assist in any way possible. Through the line, I reached an incredibly sweet woman named Melanie who sounded almost as excited about Produce Arizona as I am! She was the highlight of the week for me... she gave me a list of possible resources to further my progress. She has no idea how much that meant to me :]

She gave me the name and contact information of a woman who runs the afterschool programs for ASU's charter schools in the valley, and I was able to call and speak to her this morning. She loves the concept, and is relaying everything to the executive director of the charter school, as well as setting up a meeting to see if it's a program the school can offer.

Nothing is set in stone obviously, but I am getting my hopes up... if Produce Arizona could start at a school, we could use a plot of land at the school, use the school's kitchen, and have access to the arts' room! That would accomplish some extremely difficult tasks for me all at once... The program needs a facility that is close enough to the schools for students to walk to after school. We also need a plot of land for the garden, an arts center, and a commercial kitchen... see what I mean? This could be a very good thing...

::FINGERS CROSSED::

Gluten Free & Me... AHh!

Hello fellow readers...

This week, I'm going to introduce some of my own handmade goods (baked goodies) at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market to start saving for Produce Arizona's start-up costs! I've been experimenting with some of my all-time favorite recipes, and am hoping that the "Product Critics" (really, the employees at the indoor market) enjoy them as much as me! So far I'm planning on taking Kermie Cakes, CPBB Cakes, Marble Cakes, Grandma Patties, Old Family Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownie Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake... and I was asked to make ::sigh:: GLUTEN FREE stuff!

I come from a family that ONLY cooks with butter. It's the only thing I know! Alex and I went to Sprout's (local market) to look for "gluten free" products... We didn't know what "Gluten Free" even meant, and nobody else seemed to know either. Luckily, there was a fellow customer that overheard our ridiculous dilemma and offered us some assistance. I guess his son has a gluten allergy. It was too funny... there was an entire aisle just for gluten free stuff... we felt really dumb.

For all of you out there like us who don't know what "gluten free" means, it MEANS that there can't be ANY dairy or wheat in the products. Remember what I said about my family and butter? YIKES! I had to buy... vegetable substitute butter... and powder egg replacer (which was $8.50!)... my new mission from now until Wednesday is to somehow make this stuff tastey.

Feel free to post any helpful advice... Keep your fingers crossed!!

Things Are Happening...

Initially, Produce Arizona was simply an idea. I originally wanted to become an Elementary ELL instructor, but due to all of these recent changes in the educational system, I decided to pursue something else that would still allow me to make a positive impact in the lives of students.

Have you ever been to the farmer's market in downtown Phoenix on Saturday mornings? If your answer is "NO", you MUST check it out. The energy down there is intoxicating! We walk through the market bi-weekly, always feeling so happy after we leave. It's just a really good feeling buying locally and seeing where the products come from!

From these experiences, I have been working hard to create an organization that will allow inner-city students in Phoenix the opportunity to create goods with their own two hands, sell them locally, and the program will create tuition accounts for students and split the profits amongst the students.

In schools today, kids have to focus so much on technology and standardized testing, and they're missing out on so many opportunities! Cooking, gardening, painting, writing, ceramics, music, etc. are all things that I eventually want to pursue with Produce Arizona.

Today we got in contact with a few key people that seem very supportive, which was so encouraging! Soon, we'll be able to market more publicly.

Stay tuned!!

Emily Quinn (CEO of Produce Arizona)