HOME DELIVERY TO SNAP BENEFICIARIES MAY BE COMING

Several years go, Fresh Direct, an online fresh food order and delivery service, launched a pilot program in the Bronx that enabled low-income residents to use their SNAP benefits for purchases and have them delivered for free. Apparently, the company views the experiment as a success, presumably because the profits from the additional purchases at least offset the costs. Last year’s Farm Bill allows government and nonprofit organizations to accept SNAP benefits for home-delivered food.  They can accept the benefits only for food delivered to households headed by someone who’s at least 60 years old or disabled and “unable to shop for food.” Organizations can charge for delivery, but no more than $20 at any one time. They can also set an order minimum up to $50. In mid-July, USDA proposed a rule to reflect the law. At the same time, it said it would soon seek up to 20 food purchasing and delivery services for a one-year pilot.

Source:  Poverty & Policy, 10/29/15, Home Delivery

Introducing....GardenShare's Board President

Name:  Carol Smith Pynchon

Town of residence:  Canton

Role at GardenShare:  Volunteer President of the Board of Directors

How long? 4 years on the Board of Directors, previously served as a volunteer

Why I do what I do:  The problems of poverty and hunger in our community are profound. I have long appreciated the work of GardenShare to get at the root of these problems, and I think this small organization can make a difference for many of our North Country neighbors. Lending my time, energy, and expertise allow me to be a part of making that difference.

Role outside of GardenShare:  Trustee, Village of Canton

Hobbies:  I love to travel and consider myself a “global citizen.” Seeing other parts of the country and the world helps me appreciate all we have in the North Country and gives me ideas for things we can do to make a positive difference.

Most recent accomplishment:  Coordinating Canton’s Local Food, Local Places project

What has changed the most in your time at GardenShare?  Leadership. We have been lucky to grow under the leadership of three strong and passionate directors: first our founder Phil Harnden, then Aviva Gold, and now Gloria McAdam. They all provide an extraordinary foundation for the work of the Board, staff, and volunteers.

What has stayed the same? Our commitment to ensuring “healthy food, healthy farms, everybody eats.”

What's the hardest thing you've done or had to learn at GardenShare? My work with GardenShare has given me a deeper awareness of the problems of hunger and poverty in our county – in my village and town. The reality is sobering and discouraging.

Favorite song, book, or movie? Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Last read? The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Connecter

Share something about yourself that few people know. I lived in Italy for several years as a child, did my junior year abroad there, and have visited several times since. I speak Italian and love everything Italian.

What are you most proud of?  My family.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now? Fruit and veggies from Martin’s farm stand, meat from 8 O’Clock Ranch, and way too many extras brought home from camp. I’ve committed to not buying anything – nothing – until we’ve “eaten down”!

PEDIATRICIANS TO ASK ABOUT HUNGER

The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging pediatricians to screen all patients for food insecurity and to refer parents to appropriate agencies so children do not go hungry. Sixteen million children live in homes where there is consistently not enough food, according to USDA. Those children get sick more often, have poorer overall health and are hospitalized more frequently than peers who are adequately nourished. The academy said that pediatricians might identify hungry children by posing two questions to parents: whether, in the last year, they worried that their food would run out before they had money to buy more, and whether the groceries they bought lasted until they had more money available to buy more. The answers to these questions identify 97% of families that are insecure about food.

Source: New York Times, 10/23/15

STATE POLICIES COULD STRESS FOOD PANTRIES

Nationwide, one in six food charities fears that resource shortfalls will force it to close down, according to a 2014 Feeding America report, which also found that nearly 25% of all the food distribution agencies connected to the organization had to reduce service in the previous year. In Ohio, about 40 food pantries have been forced to close or merge with another outfit in the past 16 months.  Charity officials in that state think the closures there stem from a 2013 decision Gov. Kasich made to decline a federal waiver that would have slightly softened SNAP work requirements. As fewer people qualify for SNAP (Ohio’s SNAP enrollment is down by 115,000 since January 2014), more go to food pantries for help. The increased demand often outstrips the food banks’ resources.

Source: Think Progress, 10/26/15, Food Pantry Stressors

Grants and fundraising tools for school gardens

Over the past three years, Kitchen Gardeners International has awarded 440 grants to diverse food garden projects (youth gardens, community gardens, food bank gardens, tribal gardens, shelter gardens, etc.) across the US and in 30 countries. This work has become our focus and rather than have it buried one layer deep in our website, we've created a new name and home for it on the web: SeedMoney.org 

SeedMoney offers traditional grants, but in addition to that we're offering crowdfunding tools and technical assistance to food garden projects so that they can grow their own funding sources. The deadline for our first round of grants is November 12, right around the bend.

For those of you on facebook, here's a very cute and very shareable post. 

Junior Iron Chef registration is open!

Registration is now open for the 2016 North Country Junior Iron Chef!

Go here for more information!

FARM-TO-SCHOOL MEALS ARE HEALTHIER

The USDA reports that farm-to-school programs are associated with reduced plate waste, better acceptance of healthy meals, increased school meal participation, lower program costs, or increased support from parents and community members. Farm-to-school programs are now being operated in 42,000 schools, and schools purchased 55% more local food in the 2013–2014 school year than in the 2011–2012 school year.

Source: The Hill, 10/20/15