Saturday, October 18, 2014

Wooden Spoon Restaurant


Wooden Spoon: A New Restaurant Idea for the Disenfranchised and Homeless of Philadelphia, and the BEST in Us.....

Anonymous...
It is an idea whose time has come.  It was done, I believe, in other cities like Baltimore, Maryland or Boston, Mass. and it has been very successful. I'm talking about a full-service restaurant with all the bells and whistles and all the greatest food--disregarding pork and beef because they are dangerous to human health due to pesticide levels and problems in raising cattle on a large scale].This--a full-service restaurant that will provide food for disenfranchised workers, poor people and especially the Homeless at a cost of whatever they can afford--including only one cent if that is all they have, or even nothing.  If they want to volunteer sometime in the kitchen they can be trained to do so, if they have such abilities or potential abilities.  They should NOT be excluded from having a meal if they have no such stability, time or talents. [Remember, just surviving is a full-time job if you have little or no money and have to find shelter, food, a place to wash and clothing each and every day.] That goes for anywhere in North America and much of the rest of the world.

My vision, and I have written about this several times before, is to have good, wholesome, inexpensive food that feeds into our tendency to be healthy and of Positive Spirit.  Food that can give the human body strength, stamina, an ability to do for ourselves--as the Black Muslims say--and feed into the human brain and the human mind in a Way that will help all those attending move into a New Day and look at their New Day with a Positive Spirit and a positive attitude.  We as Black People and the left out can achieve anything we want to if we set our minds to it and are willing to work for it. But such a place as the Wooden Spoon will help our entire Nation and World and ALL its’ people, not only Black People.

I'm talking about fresh organic fruits and fresh organic vegetables, fresh farm-raised chicken and fresh fish that is cooked to perfection--tasty, well-seasoned and well-spiced, and scrumptious. We are bringing together the different aspects of the Progressive forces and progressive restaurants in Philadelphia to make this a reality for the entire city.  We will be under-written by people who have a little more money and an ability to pay, paying a little more for their meal than the rest of us, because we might not be able to pay at all. [Volunteer labor can serve temporarily as our meal ticket as we continue to seek and find and become more trained to find appropriate work and we will be able to hire people full time or part time from the volunteer staff also.].  We will also be getting grants and money from other generous private sources such as The Ford Foundation; The Paul Newman Foundation; The Robert F. Kennedy Foundation; The Enough Project; The Russell Simmons Foundation; Colin Powell's & His Wife's Foundation; The Danny Glover Foundation; The Michael Jordan Foundation; The Tyler Perry Foundation; The Will Smith and Jada Pinket-Smith Foundation; Charles Barkley's Foundation;  Oprah Winfrey’s Foundation; Several Black Banks; and The Black Millionaire's Network.  These organizations and other wealthy individuals connected to them will be contacted to enlist their on-going support. We will also contact people in public office to ask if they can refer us to people with funds and money to make this a reality and not just a dream in a few People's minds. Management will be shared and the utmost care will be taken to keep everything above board, open, legal, well-managed and in an appropriate, up-beat and positive frame of thought. Good conduct will and is a must. [We plan to have medical and mental health staff on hand to help Homeless People who might well have some adjusting to do in being around other people outside of their community.]   We will seek grants and private financing to maintain accountants, insurance and adequate paid staff as needed.

Why are we doing this? First of all, we have to admit that it is NOT a new concept.  Most of us Ole Heads remember the gracious Father Devin & His wife and His places to eat--and His Hotels--that provided a delicious dinner for 25 cents back in the early 1960's.  He was a Black religious leader, a Pastor, who cared about people who didn't have much, which isn't very popular right now.  We now, on October 7th, 2014, Tuesday, live in a world and a city that is full of citizens who are focused on their own issues and their own finances even as the world economy continues to recover--but this picture is changing and people are beginning to open up and be more caring and concerned about the poor and the formerly left out.  We should always have room in our hearts for others, because one day, we may need someone else to have room in their heart for us.

Another reason we are doing this is because disenfranchised people and even Black people of means are treated like the last post on the totem pole--not given respect, honor, dignity or the slightest of kindnesses when the Bible tells us we as Christians should be treating all People with much kindness, respect and dignity.  We read all the deep religious books, but don't really take their messages to heart. [There are great books of a great many quotes from the Native American community that talk of respect for mankind, nature and having a LOVing nature. I suggest we all read some of these as well. I will do some research and look some of the up. ]  If we read what Jesus said, there would be no Way we could treat each other with such disgrace, and disrespect.  Things are changing though.    Something is very wrong when a picture doesn't reflect the best in the world also.. I don't have to go back 230 years and talk about slavery, I don't have to talk about the racism and hatred of Jim Crow in the ole South or How many Black people were killed during the Civil Rights era, I can look at what is happening right now, or I can choose to discover more positive things happening to poor and Black people.  The former problem of our inability as Black People to deal with our addictions and begin a willing healing process is becoming less of a problem. We are a special People--Blessed by GOD--and we are beginning to see how to effectively help ourselves.   The inability of so many Black leaders to lead in the correct and positive directions that truly lead to achievement, accomplishment, honor, dignity, Grace, our youth's Grace and Honor, and our ability to make the money we need to sustain ourselves is becoming less of a problem as we keep our Heads to the Sky and look on the brighter side of life. Our glasses are more than half full and the full line is being reached.  We are full of LOVe, Hope, Charity for ourselves and each other, full of GOD's wisdom and full of hope for the future.  Yes, I'm talking about us helping us and us moving forward towards a bright and better day.  But I'm also talking about us taking proper responsibility for ourselves and our actions.

I made a Big Pot of chili for myself a few weeks ago--full of string beans, black beans, onions, squash, scullions, shallots, tomato sauce, low sodium vegetable broth, garlic, spices like curry powder, cumin, and tamarack--it lasted for a good while and was very tasty & WELL-SPICED.  What I'm getting at is having the positive determination to turn things around and make the positive changes we need to make among ourselves, our religious leaders and our civic and business leaders to turn our ship around and make our vision a more positive one. It CAN be done.  It is BEING done!!!  This is part of the whole reason for the restaurant--to treat people who have had it up to here concerning systemic and on-going unemployment , foreclosure and other hardships, treat these People with some LOVe, respect, Honor and decency--not cast them aside like yesterday's ole worn out shoe or an ole worthless newspaper.

So now you see why I do my work and advocate for the disenfranchised and Homeless of ALL races--especially Black People, and will continue to do so.  This letter will have to sit here for a few days and I will have to take some of the heat out of it, but not the steam.  I ask you for help in directly communicating to Black Sisters and Black Brothers who can help this restaurant become a reality.

Call me and send me your contact information if you want this to happen. This restaurant will also borrow from a few other restaurants in Philadelphia to take food that is offered that is not moldy or going bad, but good food that is fresh, but left over [or including somewhat older ingredients.].  I want to make it a city-wide project that brings about a whole new Way of treating disenfranchised people and realizing: ``there but for the Grace of GOD go I.''

It will also be an optimum opportunity for the entire City of Philadelphia to resolve an on-going problem and start to look at ALL Philadelphian's as an asset not a liability even if they don't have work, are in school or are not financially stable.   We can turn things around and have a better attitude about our City, the Mayor, the Unions and the Business Community by working together on this project and many others like it.  I look forward to hearing from you. Place comments with Brother Tracy Gibson at 1 (215) 921-2065 / BrotherTracy11@GMail.Com / blockboi75@yahoo.com*:) happy

listen to 900 A.M. Talk Radio in Philadelphia, Common's Wealth of Pennsylvania.

I now have two paying clients, I am very,very thankful to God & the African Ancestors & the African Creator, & All international Progressive Peace & International Peace Movements.


Brother Tracy Gibson...
Consultant -- Budding Philanthropist...

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