CAGJ’S ANNUAL STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECONOMIES EVERYWHERE (SLEE!) DINNERS
18th Annual SLEE! (2024)
Thank you so much to everyone who came, and supported through food, dessert and silent auction donations! It was nourishing as always to come together, have fun, and engage in thought provoking conversations. We felt a renewed sense of hope and connection, needed now more than ever.
Seeing the room so full of generous people working together to make the world a better place was truly inspiring. With everyone’s support, we raised critical funds to continue our work for food justice and food sovereignty! To celebrate CAGJ’s legacy and impact, four members shared some of their CAGJ stories at SLEE: Phil Bereano, Chris Iberle, Lisa Colligan, and Emily Reilly. Watch and share their stories here!
2024 Sponsors: Central Co-op ~ Equal Exchange ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Madres Kitchen ~ New Roots Organics ~ Real Change ~ UFCW Local 3000
Meal supported by PCC
17th Annual SLEE! (2023)
A warm and wide THANK YOU to everyone for being part of our 17th Annual Strengthening Local Economies Everywhere Dinner!
The room was buzzing! – our first full, in-person dinner since 2019! From all the many volunteers, to silent auction and dessert dash donors, to sponsors, community partners, table captains, attendees, and everyone in between – we are SO grateful for your support celebrating and building food sovereignty here in the Northwest and across the globe. Special thanks to Shpilkis for opening the night with their old school yiddish grooves! And immense gratitude especially to the farmers, food producers, kitchen staff, and all the hands who made it possible for us to share a meal together.
What a gift it was to hear from our keynote speaker Malik Yakini, who came all the way from Detroit! Watch and share his keynote, “Black Food Sovereignty: Local to Global” here! The full 2-hour program can be viewed here.
2023 Sponsors: Central Co-op ~ Equal Exchange ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Friends of the Earth ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Madres Kitchen ~ New Roots Organics ~ Northwest Harvest ~ PCC ~ Real Change ~ Social Justice Fund NW ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 3000
16th Annual SLEE! (2022)
We were so thrilled to be able to celebrate CAGJ’s 16th Annual SLEE Gala together as an outdoor garden party! SLEE has always been a community event and there is no substitute for sharing fair trade and locally-sourced food in person. We had beautiful weather and beautiful conversations. Huge thanks to the musicians Sin Fronteras for once again sharing their wonderful songs with us!
Thank you to Black Star Farmers Marcus Henderson, Derrick McDonald, Orian Grant & Xander for sharing your wisdom and garden with us. Our four keynote speakers gave emotional speeches about the importance of collective organizing and a power shift away from individualism in order to address injustices Black and Indigenous people face. You can watch their keynote, entitled, “Reclaiming Food Sovereignty and Reconnecting to Indigenous Ways of Life,” and the 2-hour SLEE live stream here!
2022 Sponsors: Central Co-op ~ Equal Exchange ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Friends of the Earth ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Madres Kitchen ~ New Roots Organics ~ PCC ~ Real Change ~ Rise Up! Productions ~ Social Justice Fund NW ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 3000
15th Annual SLEE! (2021)
CAGJ wishes to thank everyone who contributed to making CAGJ’s 15th Annual SLEE and 20th Anniversary Party a success! While it was difficult to decide to host SLEE virtually once again, given how central sharing a fair trade and locally-sourced meal is to this gathering, we are so grateful to have still been able to come together in community. Huge thanks to the musicians – Sin Fronteras and Seattle Fandango Project – for sharing their wonderful songs with us, opening and closing the show!
Thank you to Raj Patel for sharing your wisdom and returning to celebrate another big CAGJ anniversary with us. Raj reflected on the twin realities of the 1999 WTO protests, out of which CAGJ was founded, and how the creative conflicts of twenty years ago are still central to food sovereignty today: “…it’s vital that the kinds of things, the kinds of storytelling, the kinds of mobilizing around say, “Rich Appetites,” that enable us to stop egregious moments like the UN Food Systems Summit, continue.” He also reminded us that “our solidarities with working classes everywhere [are] going to require substantial sacrifice and change as we unlearn everything that capitalism has instilled in us. That’s not an easy road, but a road that we can go down together because we have this international solidarity that can… help us become better.” You can watch his keynote, entitled, “Is This What Democracy Looks Like? A Tale of Two Seattles,” and the full 1.5-hour SLEE live stream here!
2021 Sponsors: Central Co-op ~ Clean Greens ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Friends of the Earth ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ New Roots Organics ~ PCC ~ Real Change ~ Social Justice Fund NW ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 21
14th Annual SLEE! (2020)
SLEE was beautiful! CAGJ wishes to warmly thank everyone who contributed to making CAGJ’s 14th Annual SLEE and 1st virtual gala a great success! While SLEE was reduced from a four hour community feast and celebration to a one hour online event, we strived to make it festive and joyful. Huge thanks to the musicians – Sin Fronteras and Erika Lundahl – who traded their artistry for a wild salmon caught by Loki Fish Co. to share a few gorgeous songs with us!
Thank you Chef Tarik Abdullah for sharing your wisdom and inspiring us to “create, create, create!” Tarik explained his vision and dedication to making the world a better place: “What is Feed the People? The goal was to use food as a tool to bridge community…Look at what you can do for your neighborhood, not just once, not just twice, not just three times! Any time you have free time, make time! Make time for your neighborhood, make time for your community, and definitely make time for kids.” You can watch his keynote, entitled, “Feed the People: Food, Kids, Community,” and the full 1-hour SLEE live stream here!
2020 Sponsors: Acequia Institute ~ Central Co-op ~ Clean Greens ~ Community to Community ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Friends of the Earth ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Madres Kitchen ~ New Roots Organics ~ PCC ~ Real Change ~ Social Justice Fund NW ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 21
13th Annual SLEE! (2019)
Thank you to the vibrant community of dinner-goers, donors, volunteers, and cheer-makers that made this year’s SLEE! another smashing success! We lit up St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church with our fire for justice, including making individual commitments to healing our soil, eating local fair-trade food, and a communal moment of mindfulness: slowing down to be present with the work and life in front of us this very moment.
We are sending deep gratitude to Doria Robinson, our profound and moving keynote speaker who flew from Unceded Ohlone Territory (Richmond, CA) to inspire us into new relationship with land, soil, resource, and each other. Doria, who is the Executive Director of Urban Tilth, a yoga teacher, a permaculturist, and a mom, imparted deep wisdom onto all of us with her speech entitled, “For the Love of Soil: Dismantling the Extractive Economy with Justice and Food Sovereignty.” You can watch her keynote here, filmed by Ed Mays!
Enjoy even more SLEE! with these photos by Susan Fried. We are grateful that the night was captured so beautifully and are still basking in the glow of being with so many other people who are working diligently to heal our world and birth a beautiful future.
2019 Sponsors: Acequia Institute ~ Central Co-op ~ New Roots Organics ~ Farmer Direct Organic ~ Friends of the Earth ~ PCC ~ Shoreline Central Market ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 21 ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Equal Exchange ~ Real Change ~ Madres Kitchen
12th Annual SLEE! (2018)
A special thank you to Edgar Franks, Farmworker Organizer with Community to Community Development, whose keynote, “The Legacy We Inherit: Luchando por una vida AgroEcológica” was a brilliant reflection on both what we are up against, and what gives us hope in this moment of struggle to make another world possible.
Our SLEE! call to action sent strong message to WA’s Congressional delegation, as well as statewide leaders, demanding they vote against House Bill 6417, to prevent the expansion of the exploitative H2A visa program, and to pressure for an investigation into farmworker Honesto Silva Ibarra’s death.
Check out Elliot Stoller’s photos and Mike McCormick’s video of Edgar’s keynote. Many thanks for capturing the event so beautifully! We are so grateful to the hundreds of supporters, farmers, farmworkers, Fair Trade purveyors, chefs, and volunteers, who together created an unforgettable meal and an inspiring evening.
2018 SPONSORS: Acequia Institute ~ Central Co-op ~ Equal Exchange ~ Friends of the Earth ~ G&O Family Cyclery ~ Green Cleaning Seattle ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Madres Kitchen ~ New Roots Organics ~ Real Change ~ Shoreline Central Market ~ Social Justice Fund NW ~ UAW Local 4121 ~ UFCW Local 21
11th Annual SLEE! (2017)
In 2017, we celebrated another year of organizing for food sovereignty and strong local economies. The incredible meal of local, sustainable food, the wonderful music of Seattle Fandango Project, and a totally packed and sold out room made for an unforgettable, fun, and delicious evening in community together!
It was an honor to hear the inspirational words of Ari de Leña! Ari operates Kamayan Farm, a vegetable, medicinal herb, and education farm in the Snoqualmie Valley where she strives to do work that connects food, medicine, and culture. Ari shared how she works to build cultural and ecological resilience by healing the trauma and displacement embedded in the US agricultural system. Watch her keynote, “Farming for Cultural and Ecological Resilience,” here!
Plus, enjoy beautiful photos from the event here.
2017 SPONSORS: Central Coop ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Kaspars ~ Real Change ~ Madres Kitchen ~ UFCW21 ~ New Roots Organics
10th Annual SLEE! (2016)
In 2016, SLEE! celebrated 15 years of global justice organizing with a packed house, incredible food, local music from Wren and Movitas and an electric energy in the room making for an unforgettable evening.
We were deeply honored to be joined by Oakland Institute founder, Anuradha Mittal who shared her deep knowledge of the colonial practices of big business and of the Gates Foundation’s impact on Africa’s food system, and inspired us with incredible stories of sustainable agroecology practices being implemented by small-holder farmers right now. See beautiful photos from the SLEE! Dinner here!
Keynote: Anuradha Mittal, “Decolonizing our Food System: Lessons from Africa” click here to watch.
2016 SPONSORS: Chinook Book ~ Central Coop ~ New Roots Organics ~ UFCW21 ~ WA Sustainable Food and Farming Network ~ New Economy Coalition ~ Loki Fish Co ~ Kaspars ~Madres Kitchen
9th Annual SLEE! (2015)
2015 SPONSORS: Friends of the Earth ~Loki Fish Co~ Central Coop~ Real Change ~ El Gaucho Hospitality ~ UFCW 21 ~ G&O Family Cyclery
8th Annual SLEE! (2014)
In 2014, the SLEE! dinner highlighted fisherfolk in our region. Niaz Dorry, Coordinating director of the North Atlantic Marine Alliance was our keynote speaker.
Keynote: Niaz Dorry, “Who Feeds Us Matters: Fishers and Farmers Taking Back Control of Our Food Supply” click here to watch.
2014 SPONSORS: Loki Fish Co ~ Real Change ~ UFCW 21 ~ Chinook Book~ Equal Exchange~ Central Coop
7th Annual SLEE! (2013)
In 2013, SLEE! highlighted the the accelerating struggles of fast food workers and restaurant workers in general, as well as the struggle of Familias Unidas por la Justicia – Sakuma Farms’ berry pickers who are currently fighting for just working conditions. Saru Jayaraman, of the Restaurant Opportunities Center United (ROC-U) and author of Behind the Kitchen Door, gave a spectacular keynote on the conditions of restaurant work around the nation and the opportune time we are at to fight for change in the industry. Familias Unidas leaders shared their ongoing struggle, and local Burger King worker Jason Harvey also spoke on recent fast food industry struggles in Seattle.
Keynote: Saru Jayaraman, “Serving Up Justice: Why Sustainable Food Must Include Sustainable Working Conditions for the People Who Serve Us” click here to watch.
To learn more about ROC, watch this excellent short video.
To learn ways to support Familiar Unidas por la Justicia/Sakuma berry pickers’ ongoing struggles, click here.
2013 SPONSORS: Central Coop ~ Equal Exchange ~ Loki Fish Co ~ People’s Memorial ~ Seattle metropolitan Credit Union ~ UFCW 21 ~ Working Washington ~ Slice ~ Real Change.
6th Annual SLEE! (2012)
In 2012, SLEE! highlighted the publication of the second edition of our book, Our Food, Our Right: Recipes for Food Justice. Two contributors to the book, Valerie Segrest and Elise Krohn from the Northwest Indian College Traditional Plants and Foods Program, were our keynote speakers. Valerie also founded the Muckleshoot Food Sovereignty Project. Through their work on health and social justice, Valerie and Elise aim to reintroduce traditional foods into the diets of native people in the Pacific Northwest.
Keynote: Valerie Segrest and Elise Krohn, “Cultivating Tribal Food Sovereignty” click here to watch.
Read more about Elise and Valerie’s important work at these links:
Elise Krohn blog: www.wildfoodsandmedicines.com
Valerie Segrest blog: www.feedingthespirit.org
Click here to watch Director Heather Day’s opening remarks.
5th Annual SLEE! (2011)
SLEE! 2011 SPONSORS: Organic Valley ~ Loki Fish Co ~ UFCW 21 ~ Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union, Central Coop.
4th Annual SLEE! (2010)
In 2010, SLEE! had the honor of hearing from key-note speaker Ben Burkett, a 4th generation Mississippi farmer, leader in the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, President of National Family Farm Coalition and active member of La Via Campesina, the international movement fighting for peasant food sovereignty.
Keynote: Ben Burkett, “Connecting US and African Farms for Food Sovereignty” click here to watch.
2010 SPONSORS: Central Coop ~ Equal Exchange~ Real Change~ Seattle Metropolitan Credit Union ~ UFCW 21 ~ Washington Fair Trade Coalition ~ Equal Exchange~ Full Circle Farm~ KBCS ~ PCC~ Seattle CISPES
3rd Annual SLEE! (2009)
Madison Market, KBCS 91.3fm, Equal Exchange, New Roots Organics
BALLE Seattle, Cascadian Edible Landscapes, Central Co-op’s Madison Market, Chef’s Collaborative, Earthwise, Equal Exchange, Food Not Bombs, Growing WA, iLEAP: The Center for Critical Service, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, Lettuce Link/ Solid Ground, Organically Grown Company, Organized Workers for Labor Solidarity, Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance, Nepalese Paper, New Roots Organics, NW Energy Coalition, PCC Farmland Trust, Reclaim the Media, Seattle CISPES, Seattle East Timor Relief Association, Slow Food Seattle, Sustainable Cascadia, Tools for Change, Umojafest P.E.A.C.E. Center, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, U.S. Women & Cuba Collaboration, Village Volunteers, Washington Fair Trade Coalition, WA State Food and Nutrition Council, Witness for Peace, Yes! Magazine.
THANK YOU to everyone who donated food & drink in 2009
See this link for for a map showing the location of all donors! http://bit.ly/SLEEfood
FARMS:
Alm Hill Gardens, Growing Washington, Hedlin Family Farms, Skagit Fresh, Mother Flight Farm, Silvana Crossing, Garden Treasures, Growing Things, Oxbow Farm, Local Roots, Full Circle Farm, Jubilee Biodynamic Farm, Nature’s Last Stand, Island Meadow Farm, Rockridge Orchards, Kirsop Farm, Sidhu Farms, Billy’s Garden, Jessie’s Berries, Taylor Shellfish, Loki Fish Co., Blong Cha, Trixie Bakes
RESTAURANTS:
Portage Bay Café, Madres Kitchen, Kaspar’s
CREAMERIES:
Appel Cheese, Golden Glen Creamery, Estrella Creamery, Beechers Cheese
BAKERIES:
Tall Grass Bakery, Great Harvest Bread Company, Essential Bakery
FAIR TRADE:
Equal Exchange, Alter Eco
BEER: Pike Place Brewery
2nd Annual SLEE! (2008)
Farm Donations
Willie Greens Organic Farm ~ Nash’s Organic Produce ~ Billy’s Gardens ~ Stoney Plains Farm ~ Blong Cha’s Garden ~ Alm Hill Gardens ~ Growing Things ~ Full Circle Farm ~ Oxbow Farm ~ Lyall Farms ~ Tonnemaker Orchards ~ Jubilee Biodynamic Farm ~ Rock Prairie Herb Garden ~ Growing WA
Fish
Wilson Fish ~ Loki Fish Co. ~ Taylor Shellfish
Cheese
Estrella Family Creamery ~ Samish Bay Creamery ~ Port Madison Creamery ~ Mt. Townsend Creamery ~ Golden Glen Creamery
Bread
Essential Baking Company ~ Tall Grass Bakery
Restaurants
Kaspars ~ La Medusa ~ Portage Bay Cafe ~ Chef Seth Caswell, President, Seattle Chefs Collaborative
Fair Trade
Grounds for Change ~ Alter Eco
Libations
Pike Pub & Brewery ~ Red Barn Cider ~ Tulip Valley Winery ~ Eagle Haven Winery ~ Hoodsport Winery