Slow Food Denver has seen remarkable growth and change over the past year. We’ve broadened our offerings to include adult education programming, hired new staff members, fostered a stronger sense of community within our instructor team, increased local sourcing for Seed to Plate classes, generated more revenue through fundraising efforts, expanded our Communities of Culture program, and welcomed new board members. While we’re very proud of these accomplishments, we recognize there is still much room for growth and important work yet to be done.
As we begin this new year, I encourage you to visit our website and get to know our staff, instructors, and board members. These individuals make our organization thrive. Each one plays a unique and vital role in advancing our impact in Denver. To highlight a few, I want to recognize Shane Farnsworth's work in enhancing our media presence. He’s producing high quality video and capturing professional photos at our FED Workshops and more. Emily Steels, who has long been an integral part of our Seed to Plate instructor team, went above and beyond in this past year by assisting Lilly and me in hosting our most successful Farm Dinner silent auction. We largely attribute its success to her efforts. Emily has now joined our youth education staff to assist the team during a busy time. These are just two examples of how the Slow Food Denver family collaborates to achieve our goals.
Speaking of FED and the Farm Dinner, we’ve already cooked up some very exciting plans for 2025. To kick-off the new year, we’re co-hosting our January FED Workshop with the Nutrition Therapy Institute. Instructor Madeline LeBrun will teach attendees about cooking with anti-inflammatory ingredients on a budget. We’re proud to offer an increased amount of pay-what-you-can spots for our FED 2025 programming and encourage you to spread the word about this education initiative. In the coming months, we’ll feature other exciting classes, including repeats such as foraging and CO wines, as well as new topics such as seed saving and a panel discussion exploring the intersection of food justice and food waste. The year will also bring a launch party for the Snail Society, our annual Snail of Approval Celebration, a community appreciation event, and, of course, the highly anticipated Slow Food Farm Dinner, which will grace a new location this coming fall.
Seed to Plate classes have resumed after the holiday break, and our instructors are hard at work delivering skill-building lessons to students. With the new year comes a renewed need for volunteers in these classrooms. Whether you can help for a single class, several sessions, or a full term, your support makes our program succesfful and offers the extra set of hands Instructors need to help the kids learn. Please consider signing up or spreading the word about this volunteer opportunity.
As mentioned in the newsletter, we’re thrilled to begin the new year by awarding two new Snail of Approval establishments: Grow Local Colorado and Denver Bone Broth. We look forward to another year of recognizing the hard work and dedication within our community. If you know of a Denver business or organization deserving of the Snail, please email your nomination to mary@slowfooddenver.org. Additionally, if you haven’t yet secured your Snail Trail Passport, now is the time! This fundraiser directly supports our programming while encouraging Denver residents to patronize local businesses striving to make a positive impact. Already have a passport? Send us a picture of yourself enjoying the dining guide!
In December of 2023, I wrote a blog post about new year's resolutions and the push for quick fix goals that promote values like “get thin.” The post was lost to the old website, but the sentiment was not. I encourage everyone to enter this new chapter with an abundance of grace for yourself and others. This past year has taught me that we do not fully understand the struggles others are facing, and that not allowing the space and time to understand those struggles can result in fear based decisions. Our world and country are facing many divides. So, as we step into 2025, treat yourself and others with kindness and curiosity. Approach changes in your life with these values. Let’s collectively decide to prioritize empathy, intentionality, learning, and kindness – whether setting new fitness goals, developing all kinds of relationships, confronting those we disagree with, or stepping into new realities.
Personally, I am entering into the new year with goals of daily meditation/yoga, weekly Spanish classes, reading for 10 mins before bed each evening, and cooking a new recipe with my partner every week. These goals are intended to make me a better friend, better ally to myself and others, and better partner. I aspire to be more educated, more calm, more communicative, and more informed. What goals are you setting, and how do they serve you and your community?
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