News & Public Affairs

Supporters ask Hillsborough County to support zoning for Sweetwater Organic Farm listen

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Tags: farming, organic, organic farming, food

Sweetwater Organic Farm in Tampa was recently issued a code violation for conducting agricultural activities on residentially-zoned property. The non-profit farm has been operating since 1995 and has received an agricultural exemption. Tuesday night, the farm asked Hillsborough County for the property to be rezoned in order to continue their organic farming.

About fifty supporters of the Sweetwater Organic Farm showed up at the zoning hearing and stayed for hours until it was time to pres...

Organic Animal Farming listen

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Tags: farming, organic, organic farming, chickens, food

Organic animal farming is becoming more popular. Consumer awareness of some negative health effects of inorganic chickens and eggs is increasing. WMNF’s Sadia Ahmed reports on the differences between organic animal farming and factory farming.

Live Oak resident Denis Stoltzfoos, provides organic meat, milk, and eggs to 200 families in Florida. The owner of Full Circle farm has been in the organic poultry farming business for last 8 years. Organic farming differs greatly from factory farmi...

Local charity experiencing high volume of need, not donations, ahead of holidays listen

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Tags: Metropolitan Ministries, homelessness, unemployment, Tampa, holiday charity, poverty, food

Food pantries across the Tampa Bay area are experiencing shortages just ahead of the holiday weekend. One Tampa nonprofit is experiencing a swell of people in need this year, including former donors and volunteers.

The rows of donated non-perishables are set up like grocery store aisles. Here, those who’ve signed up with Metropolitan Ministries’ holiday food program weave their shopping carts throughout rows of cereal, pasta, and canned goods. Katherine from Tampa is poring over boxed grai...

Color Me Vegan listen

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Tags: vegan cooking, vegetarianism, vegan, food

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is an animal rights activist and founder of Compassionate Cooks, which raises awareness about animal suffering. She recently published her third cookbook, “Color Me Vegan.” WMNF’s Sharyn Beach and Dawn Morgan Elliott began interviewing Patrick-Goudreau by asking her to define what it means to be vegan.

"In the most technical sense, vegan is distinguished from vegetarian in the sense that vegans don’t consume anything from an ...

USF students and faculty fast to raise funds for charity listen

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Tags: Muslim Students Association, Project Downtown, USF, Fast-A-Thon, Islam, hunger, food, Pakistan, Red Crescent

Go hungry for a day so another won't have to- this was the pledge some USF students and faculty took when they participated to the Fast- A-Thon organized by the Muslim Students Association at USF on November 10. This year, the event raised more than $5,000 for charity. The funds were donated to a local food pantry, a free health care clinic and for flood victims in Pakistan.

No food, no water for 12 hours for a good cause - this was the pledge that student Avan ...