Swapping food with friends and neighbors is not a new thing, but in our post-industrial-revolution, food-from-the-grocery-store model of consumption, the idea of trading homemade/homegrown goods with people in your community might seem odd at first. Many of you already know that once you attend a swap, you’ll see why that’s not the case. I noted some ways of swapping, both individually and collectively in Annette’s Urban Farm Handbook challenge post earlier this month. 

Organized food swaps have become a widely-popular, collective and delicious movement that has swept across the US, Canada and even overseas (hello Netherlands swappers!). Ever since the first lot of Brooklyn swappers met in my 700-square-foot brownstone apartment in March of 2010, we’ve watched groups everywhere excitedly come together and trade their homemade and homegrown goods.

Food Swap Network helps people find swaps and empowers potential swap hosts with tools and information to start swaps. Our network is currently at 90 swaps and growing every day.  

Food Swap Network is launching a fundraiser to help cover the costs of creating our network site, making it a functional, helpful (and good-looking!) resource for existing and new swappers. We hope to continue to improve the site and spread the swap love long into the future. Our fundraiser will cover 5 years of operations for Food Swap Network.

You can help us by hosting (or attending) a fall swap! Your swap can take place anytime before November 30th. We’re asking swap hosts to collect donations from swappers for Food Swap Network. If every swap raises at least $45, we’ll meet our goal; that’s about $2.50 per person for a small swap. There’s no obligation at all for swap hosts to contribute more or cover the difference; any amount swappers provide will help us reach our goal. You can donate via Paypal once you’ve had your swap, or contact us for more information if you’d like to mail FSN a check.

Here’s a link to contribute directly to Food Swap Network if you are unable to host or attend a swap this fall.

Thank you for helping us fill up our swap basket so we can continue to share that feeling of going home with a full basket of homemade goods!

Note: no dogs were swapped in the making of this post.