Back in September of 2006, California agencies began a recall of Organic Pastures raw dairy products. I was a big supporter of the dairy at the time, kept drinking the milk we had in the house, and *still* have a gallon of it in my freezer. After a recall of a couple of weeks, the dairy held a press conference at the farm where the most interesting assortment of people showed up to offer support. Not to disappoint, my hippy mom and I showed up with some of the recalled milk and about two gallons of mountain blackberry water kefir in our cooler. We had a great time visiting with other lovers-of-homemade-brew and swapping recipes over plastic cups filled with blackberry kefir.
At the time we didn’t actually think that product from the dairy made anyone sick. We were told the children had eaten spinach and that the pathogens in the childrens’ stools didn’t match each other. If you read this blog regularly, you probably know that I’ve come around to a different view of the recall. None of the children ate spinach involved in outbreaks that same summer. Five of the six children did have matching pathogens. The pathogen was never isolated in the sixth so while it didn’t “match,” it didn’t “not match” either. While we could quibble about the extent of the evidence, it appears far-fetched (and verging on “nutty”) to suggest that the outbreak was caused by spinach.
My perspective has changed but I certainly remember that day nearly two years ago that we hung out at the dairy and had a really great time, celebrating that the milk would be flowing again.
I’ve been thinking about that day today because of a video just posted on YouTube of a boy, Chris Martin, who was in the hospital while we drank blackberry kefir and celebrated the re-opening of the dairy.
It bothers me a great deal now that we did nothing for the families involved in the outbreak. I’d like to think I’m the kind of person who helps other people, but it was not even a topic of discussion at that press conference or in our own house in the weeks before or after. It really shouldn’t have mattered what caused the illnesses. Families in stress need help and we offered nothing.
An article in the North County Times described the help that the Martin family received while their son was in the hospital:
Mary said many neighbors and friends helped the family out by getting their car fixed, taking care of their dog, picking up their mail, patching up their fence when heavy winds blew through, doing the couple's laundry and keeping their pool clean while the two were in the hospital with Chris.
Thank goodness the Martins had people to help them get through those eight weeks. Giving our own blood, after all, might have suggested that we thought the milk caused the illness. It surely would be a shame to appear generous.
The irony is that people in the raw milk community have shown their generosity on other occasions. Organic Pastures managed to raise money just after the outbreak for what it called People Powered by Raw Milk (PPRM). If memory serves, they raised upwards of $30,000 to change the political climate for raw milk in California. They raised much more a year later after AB 1735 made it through the Governor’s office despite the stated goal of PPRM. They spent the money on lawyers and a lobbyist to un-do the effects of AB 1735.
With all of the money our movement is good for, we should probably do a bit better on the fundraisers for sick people, the casseroles, and the blood drives. How raw milk drinkers got sick shouldn't matter.
