Food For Thought

As part of our annual fundraising Calabash celebration, artist and FFT volunteer Nancy Tello has conducted a series of workshops, leading participants in creating a piece of gourd art in memory of a loved one.

This will be the eighth year we’ve held Calabash (this year’s festival will be held Sunday, October 5), and the fourth year of the Memorial Gourd Workshop. Classes will be Thursday evenings July 10,17, 24, 31 and then an additional closure session will be held (at a date yet to be announced). For further information please contact Rachel Gardner at Food For Thought, 707.887.1647, or by email, rachelg@fftfoodbank.org.

Recently, Nancy wrote about her experiences from the first workshop:

“The first year was such an amazing experience. Each person brought a picture of the person they wanted to memorialize. We called out each name before we started, then process began. Few of the participants had ever worked with gourds as an art medium, but this was not your typical art project. Photos, shells, anything that was a reminder of the person was incorporated into the gourd. We all shared experiences about the people we were honoring. There were tears, laughter, hugs, and so much support. There were some participants, who until that time, hadn’t allowed themselves to feel the grief of their loss. Through all of this we recognized we had a common cause — to honor a special person in our lives. Here are a few quotes from people in that class:

“I thought I had worked through my grief about my dear friend, but this class helped direct my feelings even more. It brought joy for me to see something permanent in honoring our relationship; it also helped me through the turmoil that I was feeling due to my recent diagnosis of my own HIV status. I felt such a sense of comradery and support from each person in the class.” - Ron

” I appreciated taking the class with my mother, both of us making a gourd, we sat and spent time talking about my brother, and our relationship with him. Sharing with others in the class about him made me feel so supported. Knowing that I was not alone in my feelings was such a comfort, it helped me to appreciate my brother and to celebrate his life.” - Elaine

“My partner was the first to pass away in our group of friends, it was all so new, and no one knew what was happening. There was no support, no understanding at all, so it was very difficult to go through. I took the first memorial gourd workshop and it was there I found the support I had needed to finally accept and move on with my grief.” - Jim

So it’s time for the call to go out again. If you’d like to honor someone you know who has died of AIDS, come take the workshop. You’ll find a safe, supportive, loving place for your creative expression.