Days Two and Three Photo Report:
North Ft. Myers to Port Charlotte

The marchers began Day Two equipped with six new signs, each an arresting depiction of one of the key rights guaranteed under the Fair Food Program. Together, the new signs serve to clearly communicate the "New Day" that CIW members and their allies are marching to protect and expand to Publix's supply chain in the March for Rights, Respect, and Fair Food.

Day Two took marchers through a long, empty stretch of Highway 41...

... a stretch that provided little shelter from the Florida sun -- which came out in earnest on Day Two after a nearly record cold start to the march on Day One -- and little interaction with onlookers, beyond the occasional passing car.

But the day's long slog was broken first by the totally unexpected arrival of roughly twenty allies from a nearby North Ft. Myers community who appeared over the horizon just around mid-morning. After determining the location of the morning rest stop through the website, this spirited group prepared some pretty impressive signs of their own -- think about the sign pictured above for a just a moment to really appreciate its insightful take on the absurdity of Publix's refusal to pay the penny per pound -- and lined the street just south of the rest stop to greet the arriving marchers ...

... then fell in behind and joined the march for the final stretch ahead of the rest stop! The group's arrival, and the water they donated to the marchers, were deeply appreciated, as was their promise to do whatever they can to make it out to Lakeland for the culmination of the march on Sunday, March 17th. (Check out a short video that captured the moment here.)

The second break in the day's 15.5-mile trek through Southwest Florida's version of the Outback was the product of the marchers' own creativity (and an admirably supportive forest ranger)...

... when the march arrived at a forest station for a water break and an intrepid delegation of marchers promptly scaled the watchtower to broadcast their call for Fair Food far and wide!

Day Two's long haul paid off handsomely, however, in the evening when the marchers were treated to not just one, but two delicious dinners in Punta Gorda, one at the local chapter of the NAACP (including some peach cobbler for dessert to die for) and another at the Bread of Life Mission (whose irrepressible director, Judy Jones, known by nearly everyone as "Mama Judy", makes an appearance later in this report in Day Three).

On Day Three the marchers took their message...

... to the street again...

... and it was hot... again...

... but on this day, there was a decided bounce in the marchers' steps as the route took the march through the towns of Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte, providing not only some breathtaking vistas...

... like this stretch of bridge crossing the Peace River...

... but also heartwarming interaction with a remarkably supportive community that came out in impressive numbers -- thanks in large part to the area's Unitarian Universalists, who wear their love for Fair Food on their sleeves (sorry...) -- to join the march across the bridge and stay for a Publix picket on the north side.

Here, above, the Rev. Amy Kindred speaks following the picket to report on the delegation visit to the Publix manager. Rev. Kindred had been part of and earlier visit to the same Publix store back in November when her delegation was met with closed doors and told "Get out of my store" by the manager. Following that visit, she and the picketers declared, "We knocked once and the door was closed. But we will knock again." Rev. Kindred referred to her earlier experience in yesterday's report, noting that "this time, the door was opened, and this time, the manager received us." Her hopeful message of progress landed on grateful ears.

But perhaps the most memorable aspect of the marchers' experience on Day Three was the overwhelmingly positive interaction with onlookers mediated by the indefatigable flyer crew, a group of marchers who probably log one and a half times as many miles a day as the rest of the marchers, running up to store fronts, down neighborhood streets, and back again to the march to spark face-to-face conversations about the why we are marching with interested observers (the vast majority of whom buy their groceries at Publix given its position in the Florida market).

Day Three's flyering experience was made all the more unforgettable by the youngest -- and by far most successful -- member of the flyer crew, Luna St. Peter (right), who joined the march with her mother, father, and little sister from Maine representing Food for Maine's Future, the award- winning family farm organization fighting for fairer conditions for the country's small farmers and a more democratic food system. Her remarkable spirit and endless energy not only sparked dozens of conversations along the route, but renewed the marchers' energy as well, as time after time she could be seen running to and from another triumphant discussion...

... discussions with Publix customers about a side of their favorite grocery store that clashes with is carefully crafted images as Florida's "neighborhood grocer." Those conversations -- small fires lit by the inexhaustible energy of Luna and her colleagues on the flyer crew -- take on a life of their own, spreading as newly aware consumers share their knowledge with friends, and those friends with still more. And those are the conversations that will, ultimately, bring Publix into the Fair Food Program, one small fire at a time.

And speaking of inexhaustible energy... We mentioned above that Judy Jones of the Bread of Life Mission would reappear later in the report, and here she is sharing her love with the marchers along the route as she did dozens of times yesterday, following the march throughout the day in her car. Her overflowing love for justice captured the feeling the lifted marchers feet on Day Three and carried them along the 16 miles of the march's second longest day.

Her solidarity shined through in her quote in this morning's Charlotte Sun: "My heart grieves for them. When you enjoy a salad or a glass of tomato juice, you should think of them. They deserve more than what they are getting. They're being cheated. Their cause shouldn't be forgotten. America needs to wake up and appreciate what these workers have done. They need help. Let's come togehter, people of all races, and fight for what's right."

And that love was reflected on the marchers' faces throughout a joyous Day Three.