Two online sustainable food and farming classes this winter

The UMass Amherst Sustainable Food and Farming program is offering two online classes during January.  Both are relevant to anyone interested in sustainable food systems.  They are: 

• STOCKSCH 297 L – Intro to Food and Agricultural Law
• STOCKSCH 354 – Non-profit Management for Community Food Programs

These classes cost $472 per credit and they are 3 credit classes that will transfer to other universities.  Classes officially start on December 27 but if you are registered, you will get access to the class materials next Tuesday (12/20) to check out the class and decide if you want to take it.  

Here are the instructions on how to enroll:

https://sustfoodfarm.org/online-classes/how-to-enroll/

MILITARY FAMILIES NEED SNAP

Military households are relying on food pantries and other charities, and the Military Hunger Prevention Act would help more of these families apply for SNAP benefits. The bill, introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA), would exempt the military’s Basic Allowance for Housing when determining eligibility for SNAP and other federal food programs.  About two out of every three service members nationwide draw the allowance, and the monthly amounts vary by each person’s pay grade. Troops with spouses or children get a bigger allowance. Payouts also are pegged to housing and utility costs in each region of the nation. The allowance is high enough to disqualify many service members from receiving SNAP.

Source: San Diego Times Union, 11/28/16, SNAP for Troops

WASTING FOOD MAY BE IN YOUR MIND

Most of us underestimate our own role in creating food waste—and overestimate our efforts to reduce it. Like the residents of Lake Webegon, 73% percent of Americans believe they waste less food than the average American. (A mathematically impossibility.) Recognizing our own instincts is a crucial step in moving toward a truly waste-free kitchen. Research shows that people don’t like to have an empty refrigerator or an empty shopping cart, which leads us to buy more than we can realistically use right away. More than half of grocery store purchases are impulse buys. People also want to have options, rather than be committed to particular meals, so they’ll buy more than they need. And there’s a “diversification bias”: people like the idea of new types of foods (kale, quinoa), but don’t necessarily use them after they take them home. Some research has found that people feel less guilty about wasting food if they compost it rather than throw it in the trash. A list of generalized tips is a good starting point to get over some of these psychological barriers, but it might be more valuable to identify patterns of food waste in our own homes—and building a plan from there.

Source: Civil Eats, 12/12/16, Food Waste

We love getting mail!

Today's pile of mail included this note:

"Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all at GardenShare!  This is on behalf of my colleagues at work in lieu of office gifts.  thank you for all the ways you benefit our community and all who live in it.  I wish this check could be for a million $!"

We all might wish for that million dollar check, but the reality is that it's the donations of $10, $25, and $100 that keep us going and let us do GardenShare's work out in the community.

If you were thinking about a year-end donation, it's simple, safe, and secure at this website or you can mail a check to GardenShare, PO Box 516, Canton, NY  13617.

Thank you!  And Happy New Year!

Local Residents Elected to GardenShare Board of Directors

Philip Paige of Madrid was recently elected to serve a three-year term on the GardenShare Board of Directors starting in January 2017.  Mr. Paige is a graduate of SUNY Potsdam with a Masters in Public Administration from Syracuse University.  He was recently appointed as the Assistant County Administrator for St. Lawrence County.  Mr. Paige brings a passion for organic gardening and working on the problem of hunger to GardenShare's work.  He will serve on the organization's Finance Committee.

Earlier this year, Tamera Rizk of Potsdam was also elected to  a three-year term on the GardenShare Board of Directors.  Ms. Rizk is the Assistant Dean of Students at Clarkson University, where her activities include coordinating student efforts around local hunger issues.  She is passionate about food system and food justice issues and expresses her desire for all community members to have access to healthy, local, and ethically sourced food.  Ms. Rizk is serving on both the Finance Committee and the Education and Outreach Committee.

"We are thrilled to have these committed and highly qualified people join our volunteer Board of Directors," said Board President CarolPynchon of Canton.  "They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to allow GardenShare to continue to serve the needs of our communities in St. Lawrence County."

GardenShare has worked to end hunger and strengthen our local food system since 1996.  Originally formed as a network of gardeners sharing their extra harvest with local food pantries, GardenShare has since embraced a larger vision for the region, which is summarized in the slogan, "Healthy Food, Healthy Farms, Everybody Eats."  The organization's work to help low-income people access fresh, locally grown food and to strengthen the food system are designed to move the community toward  GardenShare's mission - to solve the problem of hunger in St. Lawrence County through policy advocacy work and by strengthening the food system to benefit all County residents.

Help GardenShare make an impact

If you've been reading our "12 days - 12 ways" series, you already know that you and the community made 2016 the most amazing year yet for GardenShare's work to solve hunger, a fitting way to mark our 20 years of service.  Just a few highlights of the year just past:

• SNAP usage at the farmers markets increased by 70%, benefiting both low-income families and local farmers.  Some local farmers said their sales increased by as much as 50%!
• Participation in our CSA subsidy program for low-income families increased by 56%.
• Our Local Food Guide generated many comments along the lines of, "the best Local Food Guide ever!"
• We rolled out "Hunger 101," an experiential learning program about the issue of hunger.
• Through a grant from the state, we are actively working on engaging more volunteers on fighting hunger in the region.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

With your continued support, we'll implement some big plans in the new year, including:

• Expanding the concept of the Bonus Bucks program from just CSA shares to include farmers market shoppers who are lower income, but not on SNAP.
• Expanding a program we piloted this past spring to provide farmers market tokens to families whose children receive backpacks of food at school.
• And, of course, continuing and building on the 2016 successes.

Your donation before the end of the year will help continue all of this important work and also help ensure that we will be here serving the community as long as needed!

Will you make a gift now?

It's easy and secure at this link

12 days - 12 ways GardenShare is making a difference - day 12

As we review GardenShare's work and successes for the year 2016 - we have saved the best for last!

This past season, farmers market sales to people using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) benefits at the farmers markets increased by 70% as compared to 2015.  $6,536 in SNAP benefits were spent at the five farmers markets in St. Lawrence County this year, compared to $3,834 last year.

In addition to the actual SNAP sales, GardenShare was able to double the value of SNAP purchases, with a combination of a grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, donations from individuals, and the Food Bank of Central New York's CNY Health Bucks program.

This is a win for all!  For low-income families, purchasing fresh, locally grown food can be a challenge because often less healthy foods are also less expensive.  As a result, families make food choices based on their limited budgets rather than nutrition.  The work to provide access to fresh food at the farmers markets is important to families who receive SNAP benefits to improve their diets and health.  It's also important to local farmers who benefit from these additional sales.  And all of these funds stayed in our local economy, rather than with a chain store.

Look for information soon on how we will be building on this program in the new year!

Read the rest of our 12 days series here.