Change Begins with a Single Step

Dear Kitchen Activist,

On the edge of a newly planted cornfield at Rio Farm, a labyrinth has taken shape. Families, students, and community members, together with the Pesticide Free Soil Project interns, carried rocks one by one to lay the winding circular path. I got the idea for the labyrinth weeks earlier, when we removed hundreds of rocks from the field to prepare the soil for its first corn planting.

I have deep connections with this ancient symbol of meditation and renewal. When I walk its curved path, it draws me inward. Step by step, it slows the pace of thoughts until I arrive at the center. And from that quiet place, I make my way back out again—changed somehow, even if only slightly.

A parade of small children carried the stones to the labyrinth this past Community Work Day at Rio Farms. One little girl, just 5 years old, skipped her way into the center and plopped down on the tree stump we placed there. With a beaming smile, she proclaimed, “I feel calm already!” Another little one, not yet school-aged, quietly brought me handfuls of small stones. After dozens of trips from the stone pile to the labyrinth, I could see she was tired. I led her into the labyrinth she had diligently worked hard to create. I lifted her onto the tree stump in the center, where she sat and rested.

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At Rio Farm, where organic food is grown for nine school cafeterias in the Rio School District, the labyrinth will soon be walked by thousands of students who visit the regenerative organic farm. They’ll be introduced to this 4,000-year-old symbol of reflection and self-care at a time when schools and families are under enormous stress. That feels meaningful to me.

The labyrinth shows me that change always begins with a single step. Kitchen Activism is much the same: it starts with the choices we make in our kitchens, then ripples outward—to our families, our communities, and projects like the Pesticide-Free Soil Project at Rio Farm. Each turn inward grounds us, and each step outward connects us more deeply. You’re already walking that path in your own way, through the choices you make in your kitchen and the ways you nurture your family and community.

I’d love to hear from you (just hit reply):
Where in your life are you creating calm or well-being—for yourself, your family, or your community?
What feels like your next stone to lay down, your next step outward?

If you’d like to join me and our interns (or become an intern) at Rio Farm, we welcome community members to help with planting, harvesting, or special projects, such as building labyrinths, twice a month.

Together, we’re not just growing food—we’re cultivating spaces of reflection, resilience, and change, extending outward from our kitchens.