Gear Wishlist for Sweet ॐ Kitchen:
· (1) Wok Burner – Eastman Outdoors Outdoor 22 Inch Carbon Steel Wok Kit.
· 5 Gal. Cambro Coffee/Hot Beverage Dispensers – Costs appx. $100.00/unit.
· Proctor Silex Commercial Roaster Oven/Warmer 18 Qt. 120V – Costs appx. $80.00/unit.
· 5 gal. Insulated 5 cold Beverage Dispenser.
· LED Outdoor stage or rope Lights.
–Food grade (new) 5 gal. buckets with lids.
· 5 gal. food safe mylar bags.
· Hand warmer packets.
· 20’x30′ tarpaulin.
· Large tote containers with lids.
· Propane tanks, full, 20 pound. (Can swap you for an empty tank)
· Sweet Om needs a wood run (always)!
-Long Necked Lighters
Food and Sundries Wishlist for Sweet ॐ Kitchen:
**Please note: Due to our Covid safety protocols we are only able to accept pre-packaged and sealed donations. For the time being we cannot accept home cooked donations or open packages of food.**
· Paper or compostable plates/bowls/silverware.
· Individual snacks (granola bars, instant oatmeal packets, fruit snacks, etc.)
· Fresh fruits & veggies.
· Sliced bread, flat-bread, tortillas, rolls & buns.
· Quinoa, & noodles.
· Coffee, tea, & hot beverage mixes.
· Bragg liquid aminos.
·Nutritional yeast.
·Herbs & spices.
·Sugar, creamer, &/or non-dairy creamer.
· Olive, or coconut oil.
· Apple cider vinegar.
· Biodegradable/Eco-friendly dish soap & cleaning products.
· Green dish scrubbies
· Hugs, hungry bellies, & loving souls.
ABOUT THE KITCHEN
The Sweet Om Alabama Kitchen provides hundreds – sometimes thousands – of delicious meals, fresh coffee, and snacks at Rainbow Family Gatherings, festivals, and wherever else needed. All of the food, snacks, coffee, and drinks served are donated from kind souls from within our collective community.
The Sweet Om Alabama Kitchen has been around for quite a while. The first time the kitchen was set up at an annual Rainbow Family Gathering was at the 1995 gathering in New Mexico. The kitchen has grown and morphed over the years in many different ways. One of the kitchen’s main sources of energy was River Man who passed away in 2014. Today the kitchen continues by utilizing the power of the community made by those who exerted their efforts in the past.
None of our efforts would be possible without the love and generosity of our collective family. 100% of our contributions will be used solely for the kitchen in order to purchase food, supplies, and the cost of fuel to get the kitchen to its next intended destination.
Our outstanding crew of volunteers exerts a massive amount of their energy in order to set-up, serve, tear down, and clean up during each and every kitchen deployment. No individual person maintains a specific role within the kitchen structure, but rather, we each take up different roles as needed.
The Sweet Om Alabama Community Kitchen is your kitchen (welcome home). The best way to get involved with us is to first approach the our crew and kindly ask “how can I help” – regardless of the time of day there are typically things to be done. If you catch us during one of those rare moments of downtime and are not put to work – hang around the bliss pit for a while or return again at another time and ask once more… eventually you will be put to work.
As soon as the Sweet Om crew familiarizes themselves with your name and work-ethic, and once you begin to pick up on how the kitchen functions, you will be integrated into the crew itself. Our entire operation is dependent upon the experience and energy our volunteers – which is why there is no official ‘volunteer process or application’ for our community kitchen.
There are no individual ‘leaders’ within the kitchen crew. We are a horizontally-based collective of individuals who come together to reach consensus in order to prepare, set-up, hydrate, and serve our family.
In 2012 the kitchen took to Wookiefoot’s “Project Earth” festival which is held annually at Harmony Park in Southern Minnesota. This was the first time in our history that the Sweet Om Kitchen was to set up and serve from within a commercialized event. At first the kitchen did not serve meals until the event had completed, in order to feed the volunteer crews, so that the kitchen did not take away potential business from the paying food vendors.
After being overwhelmed by the love and acceptance of the kitchen, we have been invited back to Harmony Park throughout the years and have become somewhat of a fixture within their community – serving countless individuals throughout the festival season. The Sweet Om Kitchen has always been 100% free of charge. What we do is show up with our gear, tarps, and direction – the family contributes the food, money to buy food, money for additional supplies and resources, FIREWOOD, along with the help it takes to make the kitchen happen.
ABOUT THE RAINBOW FAMILY
Around the bliss-pit “annual gathering” means the Rainbow Gathering held every year from July 1 – 7 in the United States of America. Unlike most gatherings held in Europe and other countries, where there is only one central kitchen, the American annual has many kitchens feeding the Family, each with its own traditions and culture. Many of them send food to the Dinner Circle in the main meadow every evening, and almost all of them serve in their own camps the rest of the day.
Some say we’re the largest non-organization of non-members in the world. We have no leaders, and no organization. To be honest, the Rainbow Family means different things to different people. I think it’s safe to say we’re into intentional community building, non-violence, and alternative lifestyles. We also believe that Peace and Love are a great thing, and there isn’t enough of that in this world. We have many different traditions that originate from many different global faiths, and we have a strong orientation to take care of the the Earth. We gather in the National Forests yearly to pray for peace on this planet and support each other locally.