Concert for Post Oil Solutions' Food Security Project

April 06, 2009

Post Oil Solutions is most pleased to announce that Ruth Unger Merenda and Michael Merenda will perform at a benefit concert for Post Oil Solutions to help raise funds for the group’s Food Security Project.

The concert will be held Saturday, April 11, 8:00 PM, at the Hooker-Dunham Theatre, in Brattleboro. Tickets are $12, and $10 for seniors and students. Reservations can be made by calling 802.869.2141.

The daughter of the highly-acclaimed fiddler, Jay Unger, Ruthy performed before a sold-out audience in Brattleboro this past February as one of the three members of the female trio, Sometimes Why.

As well as performing with Ruthy, and being a member of The Mammals, Michael has an active solo career with three CDs in his own name.

Both perform on the guitar, banjo and ukulele, do vocals, and write songs. Ruthy is also a standout fiddle player.

Together with Tao Rodriguez (grandson of Pete Seeger), they founded the indie-string band, The Mammals (http://www.themammals.net/) in 2001 where, over the period of 6 years, they cut 5 albums and played before international audiences.

Following their successful time with The Mammals, Ruthy and Michael struck out on their own, creating a gorgeous new acoustic recording, The Honeymoon Agenda, (http://www.mikeandruthy.com/Home.html) on their label, Humble Abode Music. They have recently cut a second album, which may be available at the concert.

Although the name, The Honeymoon Agenda, was thought up as a rhyming pronunciation guide for their last name, it also describes the happy blend of work and play that went into the project.

Post Oil Solutions is a community organizing project whose purpose is to empower the people of the Central Connecticut River Valley bioregion to develop sustainable, collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self-sufficient post petroleum society. (www.postoilsolutions.org)

Post Oil Solutions is most pleased to announce that Ruth Unger Merenda and Michael Merenda will perform at a benefit concert for Post Oil Solutions to help raise funds for the group’s Food Security Project.

Though the group has projects in energy, transportation, local economy, and education, its principal focus has been on food. Our goal is to develop the necessary infrastructure in our region so that we increasingly become a people who can feed ourselves.

Integral to this purpose is our Food Security Project. This is aimed at increasing the availability and accessibility of local food to people of lower income. With a staff of 3 VISTA volunteers, and a $10,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation, we have

* initiated a gleaning pilot project last summer, and recentgly entered into a gleaning partnership with the Vermont Food Bank that will serve to provide produce from the fields of participating area farmers to the Food Bank’s warehouse on Putney Road;
* initiated a 2 acre Sustainability Farm project at the School for International Training that, in addition to supplying food for the school, will also provide fresh produce to the Brattleboro Drop In Center;
* begun organizing community gardens in low-income neighborhoods;
* initiated a pilot project that will allow food stamp recipients to use their EBT cards to participate in a CSA;
* planned gardening workshops to be given in low-income communities this season;
* has actively participated in the No Gardener Left Behind campaign, Post Oil's effort to encourage everyone to be gardening; and
* conducted a community food assessment.

Post Oil Solutions is extremely grateful to Ruthy and Mike for their enthusiastic willingness to do this benefit concert for the Food Security Project. We encourage everyone to turn out on 11 April to enjoy great music and to support a great cause. Thank you.

April 06, 2009

Press Room