Thanks for your help in providing warmth and comfort for the unhoused of Atlanta this winter.
Due to the coronavirus, it is more difficult for folks to find the shelter they need and we are working on a few initiatives to provide all the warmth we can! See below for ways you can help out!
Hot Water Bottle Drive
Herbalista is collecting HOT WATER BOTTLES to help keep our friends on the street warm this winter 🔥We are hoping to collect at least 100 hot water bottles before the holidays! Due to the pandemic, many of the unhoused don’t feel as safe entering warming shelters on cold nights. ❄️
And while hot water bottles certainly aren’t the solution to the deeper problems of a government failing to provide for the people, we hope that at least it can offer a little warmth on a cold night. Please email us at Herbalista.ATL@gmail.com if you’d like to join us as we Heat the Streets in support of Atlanta’s homeless community.
We are also raising funds to purchase an instant hot water dispenser to allow our partner Mercy Community Church to fill the bottles and make warming drinks with ease this winter. If you’d like to contribute, please use our paypal link.
Fire Cider Brigade
Fire Cider is a spicy, warming vinegar remedy made with kitchen herbs and spices. Herbalista’s Fire Cider Brigade makes and distributes 2 1/2 gallons of Fire Cider each month to the unhoused through our partners, Mercy Community Church, to provide immune support for our friends on the street. We are so thankful for all the members of the Brigade who create the batches, press, bottle, and label this Fire Cider for distribution.
If you are interested in joining the Brigade, please be in contact with us at Herbalista.ATL@gmail.com 🔥
In our efforts to provide quality, effective remedies, members of the Brigade produce Fire Cider according to our Good Herbalista Practices, available in the Medicine Making section of the website.
Whether or not you join the Brigade, we hope folks are able to make and share this incredibly delicious and warming remedy in their neck of the woods. I first learned this remedy from the teachings of Rosemary Gladstar who popularized it through her classes and books. In her words:
“Fire Cider is a popular traditional herbal remedy freely shared, made, produced and sold by hundreds of herbalists across the world. The remedy has taken on many different amendments over time, somewhat like chicken soup. Many people have their favorite version, but the base consists of fresh garlic, onions, ginger, horseradish and chile peppers that sit in vinegar for the desired amount of time, are strained, and then a bit of something sweet is usually added at the end. The remedy is used to help warm up the body, and generally acts a stimulant and antimicrobial used during cold and flu season.” www.freefirecider.com
And here are links to our little riff on this classic remedy and a video to guide you through the process!