New grant will help low-income people access local food

A new grant of $20,000 from the Allen Foundation arrived just at the right time for GardenShare.  These funds will be used over the next two years to subsidize low-income and working families to either purchase shares in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms, or to help those families purchase food at farmers markets.  In addition, the grant will support the distribution of farmers markets vouchers to children who receive backpacks of food from school.

We had 14 families on the waiting list for our CSA subsidy program for 2017.  While we have already served 30 other households with funds from other grants and individual donors, we had run out of funds to cover all who applied.  Happily, this grant means that we now have provided all 14 families on the waiting list with CSA assistance.

In addition, we had some funds to help families whose children receive backpacks of food from school during the summer, thanks to grants from the United Methodist Women and Stewart’s Shops.  But it was not enough to reach the three schools that we hoped to.  With this grant added to the mix, we distributed cards that can be redeemed at the farmers markets to students in the Canton Golden Bear Pack program, the Potsdam Snack Pack program, and the Massena Back the Pack program.  All three communities have farmers markets where families can use the cards to help purchase nutritious food while school is out for the summer.

GardenShare also has a new program in 2017 that will be funded by this grant.  In order to help lower-income and working families who do not receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) benefits, GardenShare is implementing a subsidy for purchases at the farmers markets.  Families with annual incomes of approximately $50,000 or less can double their purchasing power at the farmers markets by buying cards that have a $10 value for just $5.   The cards are purchased from GardenShare and can be redeemed at the farmers markets in Canton, Gouverneur, Massena, and Potsdam.  Full details on eligibility and an application form are available at gardenshare.org  or by calling GardenShare at 315-261-8054.

The grant from the Allen Foundation is for two years and will support these same programs next growing season, though it does not cover the full cost of the programs.  GardenShare will seek other grants and donations to ensure the continuation this important work to help lower-income and working households obtain healthy food and to support local farmers.

A short story from last week's dinner

Just one more highlight from last week's dinner...

Jake's on the Water very generously donated a $100 gift card for GardenShare to raffle off.  We announced that we would be donating the proceeds of the drawing directly to help support low-income families with a subsidy to help them purchase a CSA share (at that point, we had 14 people on the waiting list).

People dug deep and the drawing netted $480 for GardenShare's work.

Typical story, right?

What made is special was that the winner of the gift card, Liliana Trevizan, was celebrating her birthday at the event.  Happy birthday, Liliana, and we hope you enjoy your return trip to Jake's!

Fundraising dinner and auction a huge success!

Thank you, thank you, and thank you to everyone who helped with last night's event in anyway!  To the team at Jake's on the Water a very special thank you.  And whether you bought tickets, donated an auction item, purchased an auction item or a raffle ticket, volunteered your time, or sponsored the event, you helped GardenShare in a big way!

GardenShare's eighth annual Fundraising Dinner and Auction set a new record!  The sold-out crowd, amazing auction, and our business sponsors helped GardenShare raise a total of $9,718!  Just for perspective, this compares to $5,783 last year.

It was an amazing evening all the way around.  Here's just a sampling...

The full house during the cocktail hour made it hard
to even get to the silent auction items!

100 people purchased tickets and joined us -
a record-setting crowd for GardenShare and
testing the limits of the great team at Jake's!
(They cane through with flying colors!)

Marc Compeau and Chef Josh Taillon
welcome the guests

Mark Berninghausen was clearly happy to
get his Senators shirt and some SLU hockey
tickets in the auction!

Thank you to Megan Bowdish of Never Tire Farm
who donated plants we used for center pieces and
that guests were able to take home with them.

Very special thanks to our business sponsors!

Presenting sponors:

Friend sponsors:

Frazer Computing

Green Hammer Construction

Farmers Market season is arriving - can you help ensure that everybody eats?

Spring is finally arriving in the North Country and we are looking forward to those fresh, tasty, and healthy vegetables and fruits grown by our local farmers.  Bet you are, too!

But we also know how many people here in the North Country struggle to put that kind of nutritious and delicious food on their tables.

And we recognize how many area farmers are also struggling to build a successful business that will support their own families and contribute to the local economy.

Our core programs at GardenShare work to tackle both of those challenges at once! 

By raising money for our Bonus Bucks program which helps lower-income and working families purchase local food, we are also strengthening sales for our local farmers.

Dulli Tengeler of Birdsfoot Farm said it best.  “Last season we had about 45 CSA members and 10 percent of our members were Bonus Bucks recipients.  This year we are looking to increase our CSA memberships to 60 to 80 shares! Bonus Bucks will make it possible for more people to join our community!”

That’s truly a win-win.

Dulli also shared this story, “One of our repeat CSA members who has really become a staple member of our community almost had to give up their share last year because of affordability.  But because of the Bonus Bucks program provided by GardenShare they were able to keep their share and we were able to keep our community together strong.”

Will you consider a donation to support this work?  You can donate here.

Thank you so much.

One father’s story… I just wanted to say that the Farmers Market SNAP incentive program has been a godsend thus far.  Normally, I wouldn't be spending my SNAP/EBT funds at a farmers market (because most of the produce is from slightly to much more expensive than the stuff you can get at the store), but with the grants it's been an excellent resource.  My daughter and I have greatly enjoyed the higher quality produce and local meats (heirloom strawberries and tomatoes = so much better flavor than the supermarket), as well as the fresh baked goods on offer.  The value has been excellent, the staff extremely friendly, and it's been a pleasure supporting local farmers and producers. Thank you all, from me and my daughter, Andrea.  -Jason

You can make a difference for families like Jason’s!

·         $250 helps a family of five have healthy food by paying for half of their CSA share

·         $100 doubles the buying power at the farmers market for a young mother who relies on SNAP and helps her provide fresh local produce to her children

·         $50 helps a working family who makes a little too much to receive SNAP benefits get $100 worth of farmers market produce

·         $25 helps a senior citizen double the value when they shop at the farmers market

And your gift of any amount or your commitment of volunteer time helps GardenShare reach our vision for our community…

Healthy Food s Healthy Farms s Everybody Eats

Cabin Fever Trivia Night a Success!

GardenShare's fifth annual "Cabin Fever Trivia Night" was held on March 18, 2017 and was a record-setting event for the organization.  Sixteen teams of four took part in the event and answered questions about farming and farmers markets, the Adirondacks, North Country food and beverage, local sports, and music.  When we finished that evening, we had raised over $2,500 to support GardenShare's work to solve the problem of hunger in St. Lawrence County!

The winning team represented Deep Root Center for Self-Directed Learning in Canton.  

Second Place went to a team of Potsdam residents who called themselves “Wilson.” 

The prize for the best team uniform went to the team representing the Buccaneer Lounge in Canton.  

There was also a prize for the best team name, which went to “The Alternative Facts.”

Tony Lynn

Presenting sponsors who helped make this event possible included St. Lawrence Health System and Stauffer Farms.  Other sponsors included Save-a-Lot, Sandstone Family Dentistry, and Mort Backus and Sons.  Tony Lynn, morning show host at The Wolf 95.3 was the evening's Master of Ceremonies.

The amazing volunteer committee that organized this event demonstrated the difference that a small group of people can make.  All of the local farms and businesses who donated made this event possible and demonstrated their commitment to building a strong and vital community where people care about each other. Isn't it great to be part of such a place?

Some of the prize baskets

Thank you to all those farms and businesses who donated to the prize packages for the winning teams, including:  Bittersweet Farm, Canton Apples, Canton Farmers Market, Circle G Farm, Eight O’clock Ranch, Fullers Farm, Harmony Farm, Kent Family Growers, Martins Farmstand, Raymond Watkins, Red Wagon Farm, Smith Farm Chicken, Sweetcore Farm, Tupper Hilltop Maple Treats, and Warren’s Rustic Creations.

Cookies from Sugar Valley Bakery

Thank you to all who donated food for the event, including:  ARAMARK, Potsdam Food Co-op, Stauffer Farms, Stewart’s Shops, and Sugar Valley Bakery.  Special thanks to Brick and Mortar Music who donated the use of a sound system.

Go here for even more photos.

Funds raised will support GardenShare's work to solve the problem of hunger in St. Lawrence County.  GardenShare's annual Local Food Guide, farmers market promotion, and promotion of Community Supported Agriculture help ensure that the County has a vibrant, local food system where our food choices are healthy for us, for our communities, and for the environment and where local farmers are able to make a living that supports their families.   GardenShare also makes it possible for people to use food stamps at area Farmers Markets and helps low-income families buy CSA shares so that everyone in the County has access to enough nutritious and affordable food to sustain a healthy lifestyle.  

Trivia Night this weekend!

Since neither of our teams are going to Lake Placid this weekend, are you finding yourself with a free weekend?

Don't forget Cabin Fever Trivia Night on Saturday!  You can register at the door if needed!

Saturday, March 18, 2017

7:00 PM

Elks Club, 10 Elm Street, Potsdam

MC Tony Lynn, morning show host on 95.3 The Wolf

Admission $20 or $10 for students with ID

Put together a team of four or we'll help match you with a team and join us for a raucous night of good fun for a good cause!

Great prizes!
1st and 2nd place team in the trivia contest
Best team name and best team uniform

$20 per person – admission benefits GardenShare
$10 admission for students!

To register for Cabin Fever Trivia Night, go here.

North Country trivia, including these fun new trivia categories:
Farming, North Country Food and Beverage, and Adirondacks

Special thanks to our sponsors:

Presenting sponsors:
St. Lawrence Health Systems
Stauffer Farms

Partnership sponsor:
Save-a-Lot

Friend Sponsor:
Mort Backus and Sons
Sandstone Family Dentistry

Two weeks til Cabin Fever Trivia Night!

It will be here before you know it!  Have you put together a team and signed up for Cabin Fever Trivia Night?

Saturday, March 18, 2017
7:00 PM
Potsdam Elks Club

Admission $20 per person with a discount to $10 for students!


Compete in a North Country trivia contest in teams of four - put your own team together or we'll match you up with someone.

Prizes!
First and second place in the trivia contest
Best team name
Best team uniform

Register soon - this event often sells out!

All proceeds benefit GardenShare's work.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting sponsors:

Partnership sponsor:

Friend sponsor:

Mort Backus and Sons

Cabin Fever Trivia Night

Socrates once said, "I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance." It's safe to say Socrates was selling himself short with that statement, and yet how often, when asked to play a trivia game, have you or someone you know backed out with a statement like "Oh, I don't know anything. There are so many people who are smarter than me!" 

Chances are, like Socrates, you are smarter than you give yourself credit for. So don't let lack of confidence stop you from joining us at GardenShare's Cabin Fever Trivia Night on March 18 at the Potsdam Elks Club.

Tony Lynn from THE WOLF 95.3 FM is stepping in again this year as our MC. We'll test your knowledge on local North Country trivia - you got this! You can win prizes! You can enjoy the cash bar! You can go home with bragging rights and the title of "GardenShare's smartest supporter!" But most important, you can have fun with friends and community members while supporting GardenShare. Teams of four can register here or by calling the GardenShare office at 315-261-8054.

So spread the word, sign up soon before the event sells out, and get ready to ring in spring and exercise your brain!

Saturday, March 18, 2017

7:00 PM

Potsdam Elks Club

10 Elm Street, Potsdam

Admission is $20 per person and $10 for students

Proceeds benefit GardenShare

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting sponsors:

Partnership sponsor:

Friend Sponsor:

Mort Backus and Sons

Grants for youth run gardens

Katie's Krops is accepting applications from youth between the ages of 9 and 16 for grants to start a Katie's Krops vegetable garden in their community with the purpose of donating the harvest to people in need.

Selected applicants will be awarded a gift card to a garden center in their area (of up to $500), support from Katie’s Krops, and a digital camera to document the garden and the harvest. In addition to grant materials, winners will be eligible to attend the all-expenses-paid Katie's Krops Summer Camp in Pelion, South Carolina. All grantees that complete all grant requirements are eligible for funds to continue to grow their graden year after year, thereby creating a sustainable solution to hunger in their community.

Katie's Krops grant recipients are required to start and maintain a vegetable garden for a minimum of one planting season. All types of vegetable gardens, including container gardens if the applicant lives in a city or a vegetable garden located in a neighborhood or at a school, will be considered. Grantee decides where the garden will be grown. The grant recipients also determine where they will donate their harvest, which is based on need in their community (e.g., the harvest can be used to support classmates in need, homeless shelters, food banks, or neighbors in need).

Grant recipients must donate the entire harvest from the garden to people in need in their community. This may be done through direct donations to families in need or by donating the harvest to soup kitchens or organizations that feed the needy. In addition, grantees are required to submit photos and a brief report on their progress, including the amount of produce they have grown, volunteers who have helped, donations made, and what they have learned from the experience.

See the Katie's Krops website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

Link to Complete RFP

Garden project grant opportunity

Seed Money has a grant opportunity for food garden projects. There are traditional grants as well as "crowdgrants" which offer more revenue-generating potential. Past grantees are diverse and include food banks, community gardens, schools and homeless shelters across the US and around the world. 

The application must be filled out online here https://www.seedmoney.org/ by November 12th. Applicants may want to begin the process by downloading grant instructions document here http://bit.ly/SeedMoney-2016 to see all the application questions in advance. 

Whole Kids Foundation School Garden Grant Opportunity

This annual grantmaking program supports school garden projects designed to help students
learn about topics such as nutrition and health, sustainability and conservation, food systems, and community awareness. Garden projects may be at any stage of development (planning,
construction, or operation); year-long projects will be funded $2,000. Priority will be given to
both limited-resource communities and to projects that demonstrate strong buy-in from
stakeholders as well as the ability to financially sustain the garden. Eligibility: an applicant must
be a nonprofit K-12 school (public, private, or charter) and/or a 501(c)(3) organization that is
developing or currently maintaining a garden project on school grounds as a way to interest
children in fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, the applicant must have the support of a
specific partner organization from the community (a nonprofit, farm, local business, Whole
Foods store, or garden club) that brings added support and sustainability to the initiative. The
applicant, if a nonprofit, may be the community partner for the grant.

Deadline: October 31, 2016

https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/index.php/schools/programs/school-garden-grantprogram

Sorority signs up as a team to take part in the Fight Hunger 5K

The members of SLU's Kappa Delta Sigma (KDS) have formed a team to take part in the 5K on Sunday and are already hard at work raising some donations!

Thank you!

We hope some other sororities and fraternities will get on board also.  It's easy to make a team, go here and click on register and the site will walk you through some simple steps.

SLU First Year Program students will take part in Fight Hunger 5K

St. Lawrence University First Year Program students are participating this Sunday in the  GardenShare Fight Hunger 5K.  Each of the First Year colleges (Brown, Campbell, Heaton, Herrick, Holmes, MacAllaster, Romer, Romoda, and Reiff) will send students to run in this event as well as raise money by getting friends and family to sponsor them.  Students interested in participating will have the opportunity to secure sponsorship from family/friends via GardenShare's online fundraising tools and will also collect “spare change” from other students in their residences.  

The college with the top number of participants and the most money raised, will “win” the inter-college competition.  The prize will be a Sergi’s pizza party in a lounge of the residence hall where the winning team lives. 

Fight Hunger 5K Details

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Remington Recreation Trail

Registration Starts at 12:30 pm

Walkers leave @ 1:00 pm

Runners leave @ 1:30 pm

Location:  Remington Recreation Trail, Canton

Best parking will be behind Maplewood and registration will take place in the pavilion between Maplewood and Partridge Knoll.

According to Jenny Hansen, Associate Dean of the First Year Program, "The point of this inter-college competition is not to have the fastest runners/walkers, but rather to inspire lots of our students to participate and raise money to fight food insecurity in the North Country."

There is still time to sign up, if you want to join these students and local residents at the Fight Hunger 5K.  Sign up here!

Two weeks and counting! Have you signed up for the 5K yet?

Second Annual Fight Hunger 5K

September 11, 2016

Race - Fun Run - Walkathon

At the Remington Recreation Trail in Canton

Registration in the Maplewood - Partridge Knoll picnic pavilion starting at 12:30 PM

Walkers leave at 1:00, Runners leave at 1:30

Run, walk, pull the kids in a wagon or push a stroller - whatever works for you!

Join us to raise awareness of the issue of hunger and funds for GardenShare.

How to get started:

• Either fly solo or gather a team from work, school, or your place of worship!
• Download the registration form and start asking friends, family, classmates, and co-workers to make a donation to sponsor you.
• Alternatively, you can go here and create an online fundraising page and e-mail a link to friends, family, and others to ask for secure donations to be made directly to GardenShare.
• Bring your signed registration form and any cash or checks you have collected to the registration booth on September 11.
• Best parking will be behind Maplewood, follow the signs to the parking area, and the footpath to the pavilion.
• Dress for the weather!

If you are unable to join us, you can still make a donation to support those who are walking or running here.

Last year's crowd at the Fight Hunger 5K
Can we make this year even bigger?

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting sponsors:

Friend sponsors:

Curran Renewable Energy
Hyde-Stone Mechanical Contractors

North Country Savings Bank

Save-a-Lot

St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union

Tupper Lake Supply

Three weeks from today!

Second Annual Fight Hunger 5K

September 11, 2016

Race - Fun Run - Walkathon

At the Remington Recreation Trail in Canton

Registration in the Maplewood - Partridge Knoll picnic pavilion starting at 12:30 PM

Walkers leave at 1:00, Runners leave at 1:30

 

Run, walk, pull the kids in a wagon or push a stroller - whatever works for you!  

Join us to raise awareness of the issue of hunger and funds for GardenShare.

 

How to get started:

• Either fly solo or gather a team from work, school, or your place of worship!
• Download the registration form and start asking friends, family, classmates, and co-workers to make a donation to sponsor you.
• Alternatively, you can go here and create an online fundraising page and e-mail a link to friends, family, and others to ask for secure donations to be made directly to GardenShare.
• Bring your signed registration form and any cash or checks you have collected to the registration booth on September 11.
• Best parking will be behind Maplewood, follow the signs to the parking area, and the footpath to the pavilion.
• Dress for the weather!

If you are unable to join us, you can still make a donation to support those who are walking or running here.

Last year's crowd at the Fight Hunger 5K
Can we make this year even bigger?

Thank you to our sponsors!

Presenting sponsors:

Friend sponsors:

Curran Renewable Energy

North Country Savings Bank

Save-a-Lot

St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union

Tupper Lake Supply

Second Annual Fight Hunger 5K

September 11, 2016

Second annual Fight Hunger 5K

Race - Fun Run - Walkathon

At the Remington Trail in Canton

Registration at 12:30 PM, Walkers leave at 1:00, Runners leave at 1:30

Run, walk, pull the kids in a wagon or push a stroller - whatever works for you!  Join us to raise awareness of the issue of hunger and funds for GardenShare.

How to get started:

Either fly solo or gather a team from work, school, or your place of worship!

Download the registration form and/or make a page on this website and start asking friends, family, classmates, and co-workers to make a donation to sponsor you.

Bring your signed registration form and any cash or checks you have collected to the registration booth on September 11.

Dress for the weather!

Thank you to these companies who have already signed up as sponsors:

Presenting Sponsors:

and

Friend Sponsors:

     Curran Renewable Energy

     North Country Savings Bank

     Save-a-Lot

     St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union

     Tupper Lake Supply