The first of BerkShares, Inc.’s upcoming autumn events is happening next Thursday in Great Barrington. Join food justice advocate and community entrepreneur Ismail Samad at the Berkshire Food Co-op’s community space.

We invite you to become a Member, or renew, and join us in this gathering.

A social entrepreneur and food systems expert, Ismail is focused on economic, environmental, and racial justice. He has founded several successful enterprises, and speaks from experience in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors:

• While studying environmental biology in college, Ismail worked in some of the top restaurants in Cleveland, developing a passion for the culinary arts. He opened his first cafe, Crust and Crumbs, at the age of 23.
• Ismail relocated to Vermont, becoming involved in the farm-to-table movement. Exploring creative solutions to the problem of food waste, Ismail founded The Gleanery, a concept restaurant in Putney eliminating waste and showcasing culinary artistry while buying from local farms.
• Ismail later served as culinary director and was pivotal in the planning  and early activities of Daily Table, a nonprofit grocery in Roxbury and Dorchester, MA focused on addressing interrelated issues of food insecurity, nutrition, and wasted/surplus food for those in need.
• Ismail is also the former director of Contract Manufacturing and Culinary Operating for Commonwealth Kitchen, a nonprofit business incubator located in Boston, MA specializing in a just food economy.
• Having returned to his hometown, Ismail now brings his experience to Loiter, a nonprofit developing an urban farming ecosystem in East Cleveland in which every part of the supply chain will be locally owned. Ismail is leading Loiter’s Marketplace and its Farms & Apiaries enterprise.

“[T]here’s so much untapped talent in this community… so many undervalued resources. How do we leverage them and actually convert that raw talent, those resources, into something the community is stating that they need?

…[T]he market has got to be grounded in closed loop systems with circular economies that are tight enough to keep the resources and the dollars within smaller, insular communities and cities…”

– Ismail Samad in a 2022 interview with Food Tank on Loiter.

Ismail will give a brief talk in the Food Co-op’s new Great Barrington community space, followed by a Q&A. This smaller gathering follows a lecture Ismail will deliver on Tuesday the 26th at Williams College, sponsored by the Center for Learning in Action.

Our lunchtime talk is open to Members of either BerkShares, Inc. or the Berkshire Food Co-op. Please register as space is limited.

Register here >

Not yet a member, or ready to renew?
To advance our local currency’s transformative potential, BerkShares, Inc. relies on member support and engagement. With a minimum contribution of B$25 (or $25), you can further the impact of BerkShares, Inc. while having a voice in its direction for the coming year.

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Finally, do mark your calendars for our upcoming Annual Membership Meeting, Wednesday October 11 at 6:00 PM at Lee Bank’s new branch in Pittsfield!