GardenShare Growing Community Award

Congratulations to the Local Living Venture, the recipient of GardenShare's 2016 Growing Community Award.  Each year GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen food security in northern New York State with the Growing Community Award.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.  Individuals, families, or organizations who are making progress in solving the problem of hunger through policy and advocacy work or by building a stronger food system to better serve all North Country residents may be nominated for this recognition. 

Local Living Venture is a non-profit responsible for spreading knowledge throughout the community regarding affordable and sustainable solutions that local people can implement in their daily lives. They are especially concerned with local food, clean energy, northern forest, green building, simple living and homesteading skills. Through hands-on, learning workshops LLV implements healthy and low-cost living styles for community members as well as strengthening local community ties.  

Jan /Dewaters, left, presents to award to the Local Living Venture team.

In nominating Local Living Venture for this award, GardenShare Board member Jan DeWaters wrote, "Since they first formed out of the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair in 2009, this group has emerged as a leading authority in all-things-back-to-basics. By offering a wide array of educational programming, as well as a number of community gathering events, they are filling a need here for teaching people important, often-forgotten skills our ancestors practiced on a daily basis, and are also bringing people together to join in community as they venture forth with putting their newly-learned skills into practice. To me, this group is a unique and valuable piece of our north country community building effort." 

At the same event, GardenShare honored the St. Lawrence University Environmental Studies Department, who hosted GardenShare's offices from 2009 until 2016.  Without their support, with facilities, services, and many talented interns over the years, GardenShare would not begin to have accomplished all we have in our history.

Gloria McAdam, far right, along with Aviva Gold and Carlene Doane, left,
present a recognition to Carrie Johns, Environmental Studies Department Chair.
Professors David Murphy and Glenn Harris are in the back row.

Than you to everyone who attended and was part of the this event in any way.  More photos can be found here.

Announcing the 2016 Growing Community Award!

Each year GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen food security in northern New York State with the Growing Community Award.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.  Individuals, families, or organizations who are making progress in solving the problem of hunger through policy and advocacy work or by building a stronger food system to better serve all North Country residents may be nominated for this recognition. 

GardenShare is pleased to announce Local Living Venture as the winner of the 2016 Growing Community Award.  Each year, GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen the food system and/or increase food security in northern New York State.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.  The award will be presented at a reception at TAUNY in Canton on January 28, 2017.  

Local Living Venture is a non-profit responsible for spreading knowledge throughout the community regardingaffordable and sustainable solutions that local people can implement in their daily lives. They are especially concerned with local food, clean energy, northern forest, green building, simple living and homesteading skills. Through hands-on, learning workshops Local Living Venture implements healthy and low-cost living styles for community members as well as strengthening local community ties.  

In nominating Local Living Venture for this award, GardenShare Board member Jan DeWaters wrote, "Since they first formed out of the North Country Sustainable Energy Fair in 2009, this group has emerged as a leading authority in all-things-back-to-basics. By offering a wide array of educational programming, as well as a number of community gathering events, they are filling a need here for teaching people important, often-forgotten skills our ancestors practiced on a daily basis, and are also bringing people together to join in community as they venture forth with putting their newly-learned skills into practice. To me, this group is a unique and valuable piece of our north country community building effort." 

The Local Living Venture expressed that they are grateful to receive this recognition: "As a relatively small, volunteer run organization it is easy to feel like you are laboring away in the background," said Local Living Venture Chairperson Chelle Lindahl, "Being recognized for our efforts by such a dynamic organization as GardenShare means the world to us, and invigorates our work in the community we love." 

"All of us at GardenShare offer our congratulations to Local Living Venture," commented  GardenShare executive director Gloria McAdam.  "We appreciate all you do to promote a strong, healthy, and sustainable community here in the North Country."

 Join us...

Growing Community Social

Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 2:00 PM

TAUNY, 53 Main Street, Canton

Announcing the 2015 Growing Community Award

Each year GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen food security in northern New York State with the Growing Community Award.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.  Individuals, families, or organizations who are making progress in solving the problem of hunger through policy and advocacy work or by building a stronger food system to better serve all North Country residents may be nominated for this recognition. 

We are pleased to announce that the recipients of the 2015 Growing Community Award are:

Bob Washo and Flip Filippi of 

littleGrasse Foodworks in Canton

GardenShare intern, Anna Kowanko, wrote this profile of Bob and Flip and their work:

Bob Washo has said, “we’re not in the business of selling food, but in the business of feeding people.” While this statement may seem obvious, it is actually a paradigm shift from the industrial food system so many of us must rely on today where there is a vast disconnect between growers and consumers. Bob Washo and Flip Filippi, the founders of littleGrasse Foodworks in Canton, NY, have a farm surrounding this principle, the principle of creating more than food, but forming a community. According to Bob and Flip, "litleGrasse is a community farm open to all people interested in engaging with our local food system in a meaningful way."

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Bob made it to Canton in 2000, and as he put it, “fell in love with the place.” Outside of the farm Bob is a chair of the Canton Sustainability Committee and has recently been elected to the Town of Canton Board. He was also an active member of the discussion and planning at the Local Food, Local Places planning project. Growing up in a homestead in the North Country, Flip returned in 2008, excited to become part of the community again in a meaningful way. Flip is currently earning an M.Ed. degree at St. Lawrence University. Her thesis investigates how individuals who were shareholders at littleGrasse as college students are interacting with food systems in their post-graduation life. Generally, she is interested in experiential teaching environments that immerse students in the subject matter in meaningful and engaging ways.
Bob and Flip started littleGrasse in 2009, fulfilling both of their passions,  little Grasse itself is a CSA with about 55-60 shareholders. Bob is now in his third decade as a CSA grower.  At the farm they teach shareholders about seasonality and the constraints of a Northern climate. They provide workshops to show families how to begin feeding themselves locally for twelve months a year.

They are in close contact with local college students providing them with summer internships, Community Based Learning volunteer positions, as well fall farm shares. littleGrasse also participates in GardenShare’s Bonus Bucks Program, receiving about six applications this past year, which helps to support a wider range of local residents. Monthly potlucks are held at the farm to encourage community members of all ages to come together.

Carol Pynchon explained in her nomination submission, “Bob and Flip are a force in the local food movement in the Canton area, and in educating people about the benefits of growing and eating locally.”  

“Bob and Flip both take the time to explain and teach with such patience and incredible knowledge,” wrote Jenelle Matthews in a separate nomination, “they both deserve recognition for their time and efforts, which they display to spread their 'growing' knowledge on a daily basis.”

With two separate nominations coming in, the choice was clear for the GardenShare Board of Directors!  We hope you will join us to honor Bob and Flip's work.

GardenShare Growing Community Award

January 30, 2016

2:00 PM

TAUNY, Main Street, Canton, NY

GardenShare seeks nominees for Growing Community award

Each year GardenShare recognizes an individual or organization whose efforts strengthen food security in northern New York State.  Past recipients have included farmers, food service staff, a food bank, community groups, and others.

GardenShare is currently seeking nominations for the 2015 Growing Community Award to be presented in January 2016.  Individuals, families, or organizations who are making progress in solving the problem of hunger through policy and advocacy work or by building a stronger food system to better serve all North Country residents may be nominated for this recognition.

Nomination form is here and is due in one week, by October 1, 2015.

A list of past award recipients can be found here.

Growing Community Award presented to the Martin family

GardenShare presented the 2014 Growing Community Award to the Daniel and Mendy Martin family on Saturday, January 17. Daniel and Mendy own Martin's Needham Road Market on US Highway 11B outside of Potsdam.

GardenShare Executive Director Gloria McAdam (left) and President of the
Board of Directors, Carol Pynchon (right) present the award to the Martin's.

“They have been an influential part of the local food movement since 1998 when they started a U-pick strawberry operation at Southville Corners,” GardenShare Board of Directors President Carol Pynchon said.

A crowd fills the TAUNY center for
the award ceremony

The farm stand has grown exponentially since then; with other small farmers they produced and sold between 60 and 70 tons of food in 2012.  The Needham Road Market offers high quality vegetables at the stand and through an innovative on-line market. They are one of the first farm stands to accept payment through SNAP benefits and they have a small-scale wholesale operation that provides produce to local retail outlets.

“The Martin family consistently supports organizations that work toward food security in the North Country by donating produce to community meals, food pantries, and neighborhood centers, and they often welcome gleaners in their fields,” Pynchon said.

The GardenShare board and staff  thank  the local farms and retail organizations who made this event possible: Dan and Meghan Kent of Kent Family Growers, Dave and Kathy Rice from Sweet Core Farm, and Mike Corse of Deep Root Farm donated the vegetables and dried beans for the chili;ature's Storehouse  contributed the cornbread ingredients; and the Potsdam food Co-op provided the tomatoes, spices and dairy products.  Cindy Murdie from  Cindy’s  Cake Shop donated the beautiful cake.  We are so fortunate to live in a community that supports and honors  our work.

Thank you to the Methodist Church for allowing us to use their certified kitchen to produce the chili and corn bread.  Thank you to Jill Breit and the TAUNY Center staff for the use of their warm and welcoming space.  It was the ideal venue for this celebration of community spirit and connections.

The Martin Family join the following past recipients of this award:

• Jenny and Brian Walker - 2013
• Carlton Doane, Free Will Meals - 2012
• Katherine Lang - 2011
• U Share, Unitarian Universalist Church - 2010
• Julie Holbrook, Keene Central School - 2009
• Cindy Harnas, South Jefferson Central School - 2009
• North Country Public Radio - 2008
• Food Bank of Central New York - 2007
• Betsey Hodge - 2006
• North Country Grown Cooperative - 2006
• Seedcorn - 2005
• Canton Farmers Market - 2004
• PACES - 2003

Learn more about the Martin's and the award here