Laura Abril

Laura Abril—2016 Fellow

Year: Class of 2017
Major: Economics, International Development Concentration
Organization: Open Arms of Minnesota

The Chuck Green fellowship connected me with Open Arms of Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit that cooks and delivers meals to Twin Cities’ residents living with life-threatening illnesses. A smaller program within Open Arms’ programming is Open Farms, a series of three organic urban farms that support the kitchen and a small CSA project. As someone passionate about community-building and the food system, my Chuck Green project mainly focused on how to make the garden spaces more accessible to the surrounding neighborhoods. I spent much of the summer building connections with community organizations and neighbors. My work culminated in two events at each of the Minneapolis locations– Open Arms’ 30th “birthday” celebration in Phillips and a National Night Out block party in Harrison. Other projects that I picked up during the summer include outreach for “Fare for All,” a program that makes healthy food more accessible to underserved neighborhoods, and exploring increased local food purchasing for Open Arms.

My project has opened a world of complexity about the ethics of nonprofit community engagement. I was able to speak with nearby urban farmers about the missions of their farms and how each purpose changes how they interact with the community. At different points in my Chuck Green process, my project centered on research, event-planning, connecting, and (of course!) farming. It was all an incredible exploration that I will continue past the summer. I am grateful for the opportunity to be close to the food system, to build new relationships in varied communities, to be supported by a wonderful cohort.

Open Arms included me in their “Volunteer Spotlight” to celebrate the end of my project: http://www.openarmsmn.org/macalester-fellow-brings-new-ideas-to-open-farms/