Greetings Friends and Allies:

E.C. Reems is an Oakland based charter school that is initiating an edible roof garden/living class room. It has been a long time collaboration between the school, Bay Localize and Oakland Food Connection. We have the garden halfway built out with garden beds, and as we have fallen behind - we are looking for community support to complete the roof garden system. You can think of it as a type of barn-raising school project that really needs your hands to help raise the roof garden...! So if you are free this week during the day - please come out and support the implementation of this vital program of E.C. Reems Academy of Art and Technology.

Where: 8425 MacArthur Blvd. (at 84th Ave.) Oakland, 94605

When: Wednesday March 26 that's TOMORROW!
starting at 9AM and going till 3PM.

What: E.C. Reems Academy of Technology and Arts (a Public Charter School)
* Community supported build out work session of the rooftop garden
* Snack and beverages will be provided as well as music and amazing people ~ This will be a fun engaging project. Wear sneakers or tough shoes and work clothes that you can get dirty.

* *Important note* --- E.C. Reems is the smaller school on the West/Right side of the street you'll see first as you're going along MacArthur Blvd, people sometimes mistake E.C. Reems as the second much larger school just a few addresses past. EC Reems is characterized by the chain link fence which is the entrance we'll use.

* By mass transit, you can take the Coliseum BART and then board Bus #56/56 Semin- on San Leandro St. and get off on MacArthur right after you pass 84th Street.

* If you're driving - I always use yahoo maps which is quite accurate....

The announcement and details are below:

As we near Spring and the days grow warmer and longer, Oakland Food Connection and Bay Localize are busy preparing to complete the E.C. Reems roof garden. Jason Harvey has been working with the school faculty and students, propagating seeds and introducing kids to the nutrition and gardening program. The E.C. Reems roof garden is the first of it's kind, and will soon be producing fruits, veggies and herbs to the students and the community. To make that happen in good timing, we are calling to your helping hands for a series of work days in which we'll be building out the garden beds, moving soil to the roof, and constructing a green house and compost bin. This will take place in a few during the school's spring break period. We're planning for this three day work session to complete the garden in time for students to begin working in April. Many hands make light work! Your help will build upon the success of the sustainable food, community and culture movement in East Oakland!


Other details - I will be there only intermittently so the crew working onsite will be Jason Harvey (Founder and Executive Director of Oakland Food Connection) and others.
** See a video of the first phase of the garden here: ryanishungry.com/ **

Please let me know if you have any questions and *PLEASE PASS ON THE WORD* Forward this email! We need as much help as we can get to make this happen!

Many thanks and blessings,

www.baylocalize.org