The Prisons We Build Inside
We all want to be free. Whether we dwell in a prison cell block or live in a luxurious home, there is a longing for freedom from our innermost fears.
Chicken Adobo
Chicken Adobo, crowd pleaser, low key, accommodating, with some natural charisma and a ton of flavor. The chicken is a little sweet and a little savory, falling off the bone, and accompanied by tender whole cloves of garlic.
Caregivers, What *Not* to Do
I wanted to write something profound about how I have developed unconditional freedom in this 6-month journey with my mom, Karla, since her January breast cancer diagnosis, but the truth is — I am not free at all.
Making Money without Cutting My Hair: An Interview with Geno
Q: What do you learn from being homeless?
A: After being homeless for a while, I feel like I can see the details of the situations, and I listen to others more. I am more mindful of what I say and what I do.
Building a Carolina Coop at the Mendocino County Jail
Unconditional Freedom recently collaborated with Carolina Coops, a North Carolina-based company that donated materials and came to teach the incarcerated men’s and women’s garden crews how to construct a chicken coop.
Linda and Joy
Linda and Joy come every week to Free Food Harlem, usually midway through dinner service. A mother and her adult daughter. I say hello, ask them about how their week has been, sit and talk for a bit. Joy’s face always lights up, her name perfectly describing the emotion she evokes in others. Linda’s eyes […]
A Correctional Officer’s Journey Inwards
Often we are too caught up with what’s going on around us to realize what’s going on within us. In addressing what is happening within us, we will better realize what we need to do for ourselves and for those incarcerated under our care and custody.
No Apple Left Behind
We had lived on a 162 acre property for a few years before we noticed the apples. I know, it seems odd that you might not see 80+ fruit trees in the garden, so somewhere in the back of our consciousness we must have known they were there, but no one remembered seeing them previous […]
Two Hungry Women
Last night at Free Food Harlem, when the initial crowd died down and service was slow, I took a break from serving and stopped to eat the meal we had cooked. One thing I love about our meals is that I always want to eat the food. When I’ve volunteered at soup kitchens or other […]
Love in Burrito Form
When my friend Rachael told me we were serving breakfast burritos in Harlem, I couldn’t quite make the connection. Love to Table was all about farm to table food, a restaurant experience, serving love and dignity….and burritos? I prided myself on how we used the seasonal vegetables grown in our farm for our meals, how […]
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