Oaktown Jerk, Guest Speakers and upcoming field trips (Facebook, anyone?)

Personally, I'm a huge fan of Thai food, especially when it has basil in it. But when I went to pick up an awesome donation from Oaktown Jerk, I was completely unprepared for the delicious-looking Thai basil beef jerky that owner Randall Hughes presented to me! Who knew that beef jerky could be so artisan? Randall's jerky will help feed the youth in our Hack the Hood program as part of our weekly provided snacks, and we are so grateful for his support. 

But much as I love talking about food, I've got to touch on some other exciting happenings at Hack the Hood. Tomorrow, the youth are going to speak with Osandi Sekoú Robinson, creator of Vnylst, an app that's designed to connect vinyl collectors with vinyl merchants. On Thursday, we're hosting a "Real World Practitioners" panel of guest speakers, including Jose Lopez (TUMIS), Kristin Long (MIGHTYminnow) and Max Gibson (Wine and Bowties). These speakers will give brief presentations about the work that they're doing, and will be great role models for the young people in our program. 

Next week proves to be just as exciting, as Hack the Hood will take a field trip to Ask.com and have a similar panel with its employees. More to come on that later! We're also in talks with Facebook about going on a field trip to check out its megaplex down in the South Bay - keep your fingers crossed!

Also next week - Hack the Hood Open House - Monday, July 22nd from 5 - 7 pm at United Roots (2781 Telegraph Ave):
This will be a great opportunity for you, our HTH community, to come visit our digs, meet HTH staff and learn more about our program. Whether you're a merchant, potential volunteer or simply a curious Oaklander, our Open House will be the ideal place for you to mingle and learn how you can best support our movement. 

Stay Tuned! Thanks for reading!