Dear Reader,

Last month, the importance of food was on my mind, and the sanctity that comes with it’s full fledged interconnectedness. I’m still thinking about food: food as security and accessibility, food as nourishment, as community and culture, & food as a source of abundant creativity and inspiration.

The aspect of how food builds community has been on my mind heavily… How do we create an environment that makes us feel alive and nourished? How do we get connected into that ecosystem? Why are we drawn to certain people, and what makes those moments of connection so special, so human, so vulnerable? What makes us crave that sense of community, how do we know it’s there, and how do we find it, let alone fight for it?

I popped onto Instagram the other evening and I felt this beautiful sense of community feel a strain. A very special bakery we worked with in Campbell River ~The Sourdough Whisperer~ started by badass partners Mandi + Brad is struggling. Mandi & Brad create delicious, beautiful, homemade sourdough breads & other goodies (their sandwich sourdough bread is my go-to grilled cheese bread). They feed their community, as does every small business in the food industry, and every farmer who helps to grow those ingredients.

Living on the island, we all have seen our fair share of businesses going under, of the wars & wages that small businesses take on to make their dreams come true — not because this path is easy, but because it is worthwhile. Mandi & Brad have been put in the situation of wanting to create their goods so badly, but struggling to do it in the environment and space they have been given. I believe there is enough space for everyone, there is enough space to problem solve, and there is space for solutions. Unwavering in their passions, they have decided to seek out a space that will help them grow in all the ways they hope to… and they have officially found it! But they still need some help.

Our team loves this team, and as much as we love sharing their yummy creations, sharing this story to help them ~keep it comin’~ is just as vital. If you love small businesses, if you want to help, check out their full narrative on their Go Fund Me Page. Consider donating your money, consider visiting their location and buying their baked goodies, & consider spreading their story.

We make the communities we want to live in, we impact small business survival.

Thanks for being here & thanks for being What’s Good.

With Local Love,
Sam + What’s Good Gals

~What’s Good Monthly Forecast // A U G U S T~

August brings that good ol’ feeling of sunshine on your face after you’ve gotten out of the cool, crisp lake water, and the taste of fresh strawberries lingers on your tongue.

August brings in a sense of time-squeezed, as we try to fit everything in before fall hits, school starts, the weather changes, and the summer is wisped away, yet again, before we know it.

August brings us joyous hangouts with old friends in freshly cut grass, day trips that turn into memorable adventures, and a whirlwind of momentum to get us through the upcoming winter.

~ A Super Secret ~  

From Sam’s Brain

The quick whim of August has me craving new things, new foods, new experiences and new faces. Perhaps it is that extra bit of warmth and humidity in the air that just makes it so much easier to be curious in summertime than in winter, but it has been such a breath of fresh air to try new things once again, to see myself in a new light, and to wonder what all this new perspective will bring.  

With Local Love,
Sam