Harvest of Hope Festival 2009 Crowd | photo George Akel

Sure, Jacksonville has many great concerts and yearly festivals with a mash-up of bands and musical talent. But, one thing is for sure. The Harvest of Hope Festival in St. Augustine, Florida is one of the biggest and most thrilling events you could ever go to in the 904 area code. Featuring over 100 bands across 4 stages for 3 days, the best part is that proceeds from the Harvest of Hope Festival go to the Harvest of Hope Foundation which provides migrant farmworkers with emergency relief and financial assistance. We caught up with Ryan Murphy, Co-Founder of the Harvest of Hope Festival to talk about the festival, the foundation, and the growth of support.

MM: So, when was the Harvest of Hope Foundation started and what are its objectives?
RM: In honor and memory of his grandmother, Dr. Helen Zand, who was a social worker for the poor, Phil Kellerman established the Harvest of Hope Foundation in 1997 to raise private funds to exclusively assist migrant farmworkers and their families around the country. Since its initiation, the Harvest of Hope Foundation has distributed more than $790,000 to migrant families aiding in emergency repairs, legal assistance, educational support, health care and many other needs.

MM: How did the start of creating a music festival come about?
RM: I met Phil Kellerman through the grad-school program I was in at the University of Florida while working with an after-school literacy program for Migrant Farmworker children in the area. I got to know Phil and all the amazing work that he has been doing for over a decade and it really inspired me to help out as much as I could. I know that the Harvest of Hope Foundation is always in need of funds for immediate help to migrant families around the country, and since I’ve worked at No Idea Records for the last 10 years or so and know a lot of bands, I figured the easiest thing to do was to set up some benefit shows for HOH. A lot of great local bands jumped on board and we were able to put on some great shows and raise a good amount of money for HOH. Phil was really impressed on how easily the underground music scene embraced his foundation and the cause. One of the bands that really help gain momentum and raise a lot of money was Against Me!. The guys in the band were really impressed by the foundation’s work and how immediate the funds that were being raised.

Unlike some non-profits, HOH is able to not get tangled up in any bureaucratic nonsense and is able to use the funds raised immediately to families and individuals in need. Phil also posts all the money he sends out and what it’s used for on the HOH foundation website. Against Me! helped raise over $18,000 and while I was looking into booking a show for them in St. Augustine as another possible benefit, my friend Ryan Dettra mentioned to me that he had recently been given the job duty of running the St. Augustine Amphitheater and St. Johns County Fairgrounds. He convinced me that with the help of his talented crew over there and the amazing crew we have here (that also work every year to do the FEST in Gainesville) that we could put on a 3 day outdoor music event at the fairgrounds…all to raise awareness and much needed funds for the HOH foundation.

Needless to say, I thought he was nuts, but after talking to my good friend Tony Weinbender (who organizes the FEST) and applying for a grant in St. Johns County, we were convinced that we had to do it. In fact, we were awarded a $50,000 grant through the county to help with expenses of the festival and from there it just all happened!

Dr. Octagon aka Kool Keith | photo George Akel

MM: How did the city of St. Augustine feel about bringing such a huge event to their town?
RM: Well, I think that St. Augustine was really happy about the huge amount of people we brought to their town. About 95% of the attendees at the HOH Fest were from outside of the county, and these numbers really impressed the county…especially since the crowd was made up of individuals that wouldn’t have come to the St. Augustine area for all the other reasons that attract tourists to the city. Also, because of the festival we were able to bring together local farms and businesses to help put together a pre-fest dinner that raised money and helped create the “Willie Harvey Fund”, a local fund under the HOH foundation that is named after a local activist and former migrant, and helps migrant families in the St. Augustine area.

MM: What were the thoughts of the bands who were contacted to play at this event?
RM: A lot of bands really got behind the cause and the benefit of the festival. Many bands were happy to support a cause that is in dire need of funds and exposure…and many bands were more than happy to play for free or at a price that is much reduced than what they would normally get. Also, some of the bands even helped out by volunteering, working stages and donating gear for the festival.

MM: Why is it important to help migrant farm workers?
RM: The Migrant Farmworker population is a much overlooked group in our country that provides a crucial role in our economy as a nation and bringing the food that we eat everyday to our tables. Many people go day to day not thinking about where the food they are eating comes from and who are the people working out there to bring this food to us. The migrant farmworkers in our country are made up of a large ground of people that have made their way to our country to make better lives for them and their families. There is much misinformation out there about the migrant farmworker population and it feeds into a lot of heated issues that people feel about immigration and U.S. Policies, etc. However it is first and foremost that we help this overlooked population that are made up of human beings that deserve the rights and privileges that all of us enjoy for the hardwork that they endure.

Harvest of Hope Festival 2009 Crowd | photo George Akel

MM: Did the positive outcome of the 1st Annual Harvest of Hope Festival spark an interest with the bands and the crowd to spread the word?
RM: Most definitely! It was nice to see all the reverberations that the festival had…across media, people talking about it when they went back to their communities, etc. It also helped inspire bands across the country to help set up benefit shows in their own communities that we could then use those funds under the HOH Foundation to bring aid to migrant populations in their local areas. Many people felt empowered to be able to do something quite simple that brought effective and immediate change to those in need.

MM: If you could change one thing about last year’s festival to make it an even better experience, what would it be?
RM: One thing that I want to change and we are working on really hard this year, is to make sure that people really get exposed to the work that Phil does with the HOH foundation and really are able to walk away from the festival realizing that it is more than just the music, camping, partying (while all this is great, don’t get me wrong), but it’s also about coming together to support something and making a difference. We will have a large area of non-profits to the HOH tent area that shows how closely HOH works with other non-profits that are making a difference in their own ways…and how it is this solidarity that helps really make great change in the world.

MM: Any final words?
RM: Just to say thanks SO very much to all the amazing bands, hard working employees, local businesses, grassroot organizations, advocates and mostly music and festival lovers that come together to make the HOH Fest possible and help make a huge difference to a much overlooked and needing population. Thanks!!!

Related Links:
www.harvestofhopefest.com