Supprt Uhuru Pies and Uhuru Jiko / Kitchen – Economic self reliance for African community

Supprt Uhuru Pies and Uhuru Jiko / Kitchen – Economic self reliance for the African community.

“- A child born in the black community of West Oakland will live 15 years less than a white child born in the Oakland Hills.
- More than half of the Oakland city budget goes to the police. Less than half a percent goes to economic development”

As the current economic crisis continues to impact the African people throughout the US, the African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF) is building black community economic self-reliance programs: Uhuru Jiko (Kitchen) and Uhuru Pies 2012.

Uhuru Pies has raised funds for black community programs of the Uhuru Movement in the bay area since 1981. Through the effort of hundreds of volunteers, and with the support of businesses who donate needed ingredients and supplies, we are able to bake and sell thousands of delicious, home style pies during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays every year. An expanding network of supporters are telling their friends, familiy, co-workers; sponsoring pie tastings at businesses, schools, churches and community groups to get advance orders; and registering on our website as pie sellers (http://apedf.org/programs/uhuru-pies/oakland/sell.html) . Our goal this year is to sell 2200 pies in Alameda, San Francisco, Marin and Santa Cruz counties.

We are pleased to announce that our Uhuru Jiko / Saint Petersburg, Florida community commercial kitchen and business incubator will be completed by November 2012, in time for baking pies for this year’s Florida campaign. Uhuru Jiko / Oakland has a goal of being in place for pie production in fall 2013. As the rates of unemployment, foreclosures, and wealth disparities facing the African community continue to worsen, creating untenable conditions, the Uhuru Movement is pushing to create institutions of African community self reliance in the bay area. In July 2012, Phase 1 of the renovation of the Oakland Uhuru House was successfully completed: including the creation of a backyard garden and priming and painting of the entire exterior. Phase 2, to be completed in 2013, will include the installation of the Jiko kitchen and the renovation of the existing community center.

The Uhuru Jiko in Oakland will:
- enhance the adjoining Akwaaba “Welcome” Hall, hosting family and community events,
- provide an affordable community commercial kitchen for caterers, food vendors, cooking instructors
- use the existing backyard garden at the Uhuru House as a template to create community gardens in other locations in the surrounding neighborhood.
- be a food business incubator for the surrounding community
- host nutrition and cooking classes from the APEDF Wellness Program

So far we have secured the following kitchen equipment:

6 burner stove with 24-inch griddle
40 gallon steam kettle
2 double stack convection ovens
Walk-in refrigerator
2-door reach-in refrigerator and 2-door reach-in freezer
2-compartment sink

In order to meet the goal of completing the renovation of Uhuru Jiko and Akwaaba Hall in 2013, we need donations of the the following resources, skilled labor, materials and equipment.

Skilled needs – General contractor, plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractor; structural engineer, architect; carpenters, drywallers, tilesetters.

Materials needs – plumbing, electrical, lumber, drywall, floor tile, paint.

20’ kitchen ventilation hood with Ansul system.

Total funds needed – $150,000.

What you can do -
Buy Uhuru Pies to take to your holiday dinner. Volunteer to bake and staff sales tables at supermarkets. Sign up for a sellers page online today and become part of the Uhuru Pies network! Donate your skills materials and resources generously today to support Uhuru Jiko, and make African community economic development a reality!

– contact APEDF at: 800 578-5157 or Oakland [at] uhurupies.org, or go to http://www.uhurupies.org.