COMMUNITY ART & FOOD SHARE PROVIDES ALTERNATIVE TO MIAMI ART WEEK

Buddy System MIA and Overtown Optimist Club host Community Art & Food Share on December 4th to highlight up-and-coming and under-represented Miami-based artists.

Community Art & Food Share 2022

Buddy System MIA and Overtown Optimist Club host Community Art & Food Share on December 4th to highlight up-and-coming and under-represented Miami-based artists.

Local nonprofit Buddy System MIA is thrilled to host a Community Art & Food Share on December 4th, alongside partners at Overtown Optimist Club. This community event will provide an alternative to Miami Art Week, highlighting local artists who are often overlooked by the international art festival that descends upon Miami every December.

“We believe that art is for everyone. At this free event, we’ll be featuring some incredible local artists who are houseless, up-and-coming, under-represented or overlooked by Miami Art Week.”

This community event will also include a free food distribution from Farm Share and Good Samaritan Meals, free yoga and dance classes, a workout class, a kids cooking class, live music and a DJ as well as a local art fair! This event will take place in Gibson Park at Buddy System’s Overtown Community Fridge on Sunday December 4th from 11 AM – 3 PM.

Buddy System MIA’s Overtown Community Fridge is a free public refrigerator that allows free, healthy food to be shared amongst the community; anyone is welcome to take or leave donated food. It is located outside the Overtown Optimist Club in Gibson Park, 350 Northwest 12th St, Miami, FL 33136 and is open 24/7.

Community Art & Food Share 2022 – Press Release.docx

To volunteer or donate, please reach out to info@buddysystemmia.com.
For more information, visit www.buddysystemmia.com or connect with us on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/BuddySystemMIA and www.instagram.com/MiamiCommunityFridge

About Buddy System MIA

Buddy System is a young, local nonprofit fighting food insecurity by creating innovative ways to engage our community, empowering neighbors to support neighbors, beginning with access to free, healthy food. Through our Miami Community Fridge initiative, we host 10 community fridges across the city, serving thousands of people across Miami and combating food waste. For more information, visit www.buddysystemmia.com or connect with us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/BuddySystemMIA and www.instagram.com/MiamiCommunityFridge

About Overtown Optimist Club

The Overtown Optimist Club’s mission is to position youth in Overtown and surrounding communities for positive outcomes through sports, academic enrichment, and mentoring.

Community Fridges.

Buddy System has established ten Community Fridges in Miami-Dade County. These fridges are changing the landscape of food insecurity in Miami, existing in food deserts with a simple message:

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This initiative has supported thousands of people in under-represented Miami communities with free, healthy food. Each fridge is painted by a local Miami artist, changing the look and feel of a traditional social service. Simultaneously, these fridges help to combat excess food waste, collecting food that would otherwise go bad via our partnerships with Food Rescue US, Farm Share, and Good Samaritan Meals

Who We Are.

Buddy System was founded in March of 2020 in response to the unprecedented needs of our Miami community due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the increasing numbers of food-insecure households and homebound individuals, we took innovative action to help feed the most vulnerable amongst us.

With our Homebound Food Access program, Buddy System has placed thousands of homebound individuals with volunteer neighbors who can provide them with free, healthy food. As of April 1st, 2021 we have established ten Community Fridges in Miami-Dade County. These fridges are changing the landscape of food injustice, existing in food deserts with a simple message: take what you need, leave what you can.

Founded by a group of Miami artists and community organizers, we hope to use our unique viewpoints to continue to use art to destigmatize the shame of receiving help. At Buddy System, we believe that food is a right, not a privilege.

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