Hunger 101 with the GardenShare team

Participants work on their budgets

Last evening, 20 people gathered for a Hunger 101 presentation, including GardenShare Board members, volunteers, and our staff.  Some of us had never taken part in a Hunger 101 simulation before and some were back for a second time and tried out a different role this time.

In looking through the participant comments from this session, it was striking to see the level of emotion reflected from this group of people who already know something about the issues around hunger.  Here's just a sample of the comments:

Applying for SNAP

• I felt like I had a lot of the same emotions and feelings that someone in that situation would have - hope, frustration, embarrassment, failure, etc. 

• The very uneasy feeling I got when interacting with the social services personnel - this is a powerful program to demonstrate that!

• I didn't like feeling helpless!

Read more about Hunger 101 here and contact us if you would like to schedule a Hunger 101 program for your group.

A line forms at the food pantry

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.

Extension recognizes GardenShare

Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County recognized GardenShare with the 2016 Friend of Extension Award at the Association's Annual Dinner Meeting on October 13th.  Extension Director, Patrick Ames, sited Gardenshare's unwavering commitment to fight hunger and improve local access to healthy foods across St. Lawrence County.  

Pictured from left to right is Patrick Ames, Carol Pynchon, Gardenshare Board President, Carlene Doane, GardenShare Associate Director and Sandy Stauffer, GardenShare Board Member.

Saying hello (and goodbye, sort of) to Dave Rice

GardenShare intern, Anna Kowanko, has been interviewing farmers and recently wrote this profile of Dave Rice, who is both a local farmer and a volunteer member of the Board of Directors at GardenShare.  While Dave's three-year term on the Board is up this month, he has decided to stay involved by volunteering with one of our committees.  Thank you, Dave, and we are so glad you are staying on!

David Rice of Sweet Core Farm assembles his green roofed pop-up tent third down from the main Canton intersection. When I first visit him there is only one table with sparse early summer crops – asparagus and some greens. His booth expands throughout the summer to line the open walls of the tent, now laden with the rainbow – beets, various potatoes, and a continuous supply of lettuce, swiss chard, and greens. David is a medium sized man, with greying hair that today pokes out from under his hunter green baseball hat. He has forgiving blue eyes protected by thick dark eyebrows and a small smile at the corners of his lips that shows his humor. David wears a green accented cream-colored flannel over his dark purple Sweet Core Farm shirt, which appears to be his Farmers Market uniform. When we arrive he hands me a small zip lock bag of asparagus that he packed for us: the last time I saw him I told him about my unruly and unharvestable patch

Attached prominently to the front of his table, three posters hang informing customers that “we gladly accept” SNAP (EBT) tokens, CNY Health Bucks, and New York State Farmers Market Checks. For the last three years, David has been a board member of GardenShare, and currently works as the Secretary and on the Development Committee. But, his support for GardenShare has been longer than that. When speaking specifically about SNAP tokens David says, “I think that taking tokens is a win-win for both producer and consumer” as it ensures product will be bought and also people have access to good healthy food. He has been farming for thirty years and selling at the Canton market for eleven.

            

When David was in high school he worked at Friendly’s: “ I hated it,” he said, telling us about his off-menu sundae rebellion – “the David.” From there he worked at an apple orchard, finding his passion for farming, more specifically fruit farming. He went to college in New Hampshire, hoping one day to own his own orchard. After college he worked briefly for a you-pick apple farm and ran a CSA in New Hampshire before moving to New York with his wife and two children.

Sweet Core farm itself is about eight miles outside of Canton (take a right at the four-way intersection). Like many farmers around here, David and his wife moved to the county because the land was affordable. Though I don’t get out to the farm until late fall, evidence of abundance still lingers in the soil. David points out the raised beds where he grows squash and cucumbers and shows us the hearty kale and the rows of carrots, evidence of only a few of his twenty-five crops. But, he really lights up when he shows us his expanding apple orchard of young trees planted five feet apart and trussed up against the wind. He shows us how he is training the branches horizontally to bear fruit: his dream orchard finally coming true.

When we say good-bye David offers me his extra cauliflower starters. David embodies the idea that, like growing a strong garden, forging a strong community is about interconnectedness. One must always looking out for one’s neighbor and make sure that everyone gets to sit at the table.

Introducing the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors

Sarah at work with some of the
tools of her trade!

Name:  Sarah Bentley-Garfinkel

Town of residence: Canton

Role at GardenShare:  Vice-President of the Board of Directors, Co-Chair of the Outreach and Education Committee

How long?  I’m about to begin my 6^th year on the Board.

Why I do what I do:  I believe access to tasty, nutritious food is a basic human right, and GardenShare has a strong history of working diligently and with care to build a community where this is the reality for all people, every day.  It’s also an opportunity to foster collaboration between GardenShare and the Health Initiative, the agency where I work on issues of school wellness and child nutrition.  (And our founder, Phil Harnden, is one of my heroes.)

Role outside of GardenShare:  School Program Director, Health Initiative

What has changed the most in your time at GardenShare?  The structure of the organization - now with fabulous paid staff, and highly functional committees made up of board members and community volunteers.

What has stayed the same?  The passion behind the mission, fueled by our staff, board, volunteers, and supporters.

Share something about yourself that few people know:  I’ve always loved ballet and took regular dance classes from ages five through twenty.

What are you most proud of?  My children

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?  Bacon and tofu, half-empty containers of milk and white wine, lots of maple syrup from the trees in our yard, and last night’s roasted veggies and chicken (yay, leftovers!).

Another volunteer on the GardenShare Board of Directors

Name:  Maria Corse

Town of residence:  Pierrepont

Role at GardenShare:   Board of Directors (newly elected Secretary of the Board) and Co-Chair Outreach and Education Committee

How long?  2.5 years

Why I do what I do:  There are multiple reasons for my direct involvement in GardenShare: Number one being  the important mission and vision of ending hunger in St Lawrence County.  Number two being the amazingly dedicated and fun people who work for and with GardenShare towards this mission.  And, number three being my family's lifestyle choices which include growing our own food, cooking and preserving it, and supporting local farmers.

Role outside of GardenShare:  I am the Founder and Director of Deep Root Center for Self-Directed Learning in Canton.

Hobbies:  In my downtime, I spend my time writing  blog posts and children's stories.  I am also a voracious reader.  I love to cook and bake, as well.

What has changed or stayed the same in your time at GardenShare?  The thing that has stayed the same or even gotten worse since I began as a GardenShare board member two and one half years ago, is the gross inequity in St Lawrence County.

What's the hardest thing you've done or had to learn at GardenShare?  I have learned to speak up in group meetings as well as take on a leadership role at GardenShare.

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?  My power would be to create a socially just, peaceful world where everyone was able to get everything they needed to be healthy, and fulfilled.

Something about yourself that few people know.  Very few people know that my first degree is in Fashion Design from Cazenovia College. 

What are you most proud of?  I am most proud of my two independent, compassionate, and spirited
children who are out in the world doing good things while following their dreams.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?  If you opened my refrigerator right now, you would find leftovers (when your kids leave home you have plenty of leftovers for lunch!), a gallon jar of homemade kimchi, a half gallon of homemade yogurt, 2 dozen local eggs, mushrooms, a bowl of whole hot peppers, a bag of kale, a jar of chaga tea, a jug of hard fresh pressed apple cider, and lots of cheese.

Anne Frank once said that in spite of everything, she believed people were basically good.  Do you agree or disagree?   I agree with Anne Frank's statement, because when most people are treated with kindness  and respect, they will reciprocate.

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”!

Volunteers supporting GardenShare

Who is GardenShare?  A mostly volunteer driven organization, so we thought we'd take some space in this blog from time to time to highlight some of the great volunteers who make our work possible.  If you'd like to volunteer, please visit www.gardenshare.org or get in touch with us!

Here's our first volunteer profile!

Name:  Anneke J. Larrance

Town of residence:  Canton

Role at GardenShare :  Board member and co-chair of Outreach and Education Committee

How long?  Began on the O&E committee in March, 2011.  I became a board member in January, 2014

Why I do what I do:  I believe everyone should have enough to eat.

Role outside of GardenShare:  Chair of the Methodist church Trustees, Board member of Grasse River Heritage,  Outreach Committee member at Grasse River Heritage, Master Gardener Volunteer, Mother, Grandmother, wife, Book Group Member, etc.

Hobbies:  gardening

Most recent accomplishment:  Organizing the planning and planting of two new perennial  beds at Cornell Cooperative Extension.

What has changed the most in your time at GardenShare?  We’ve sharpened our focus and energies to engage ourselves in the fight against hunger.

What has stayed the same?  The comradery and feeling that we’re all in this together.

Last read?  The Underground Girls of Kabul

If you were a superhero, what would your power be?  I’d be able to heal.

What one word would you use to describe yourself?  organized

Something about you that few people know:  I have three water gardens

What are you most proud of?  Organizing the first CROP Walk in Canton

What would I find in your refrigerator right now?  Watermelon, fresh green onions from my garden, cantaloupe, fresh eggs from my chickens, homemade dill pickles, a half-empty bottle of Pinot Grigio, assorted sodas and condiments.

Setting a vision...and a plan!

The GardenShare Board of Directors met for four hours Friday evening and another four hours on Saturday morning for our annual planning retreat.

What an amazing group of volunteers, to dedicate this big a chunk of time to this work!  And I heard such great things from them about their passion for the work and their willingness to work hard to further GardenShare's mission.

We got a lot done, which will help us lay out a realistic work plan for the year ahead.

One of our big goals is to engage more people in our work.  We are looking for people who are both passionate about the local food movement and passionate about ending hunger.  GardenShare's work sits right at the intersection of those two issues.

If you might be interesting in volunteering with GardenShare to help us spread the message of our work, feel free to e-mail me and I can tell you more!

Gloria