Share your thoughts with GardenShare

With new leadership at GardenShare, we are looking for your feedback.  Why are you interested?  Why do you support GardenShare?  What would you like to know more about?

The survey is brief - will take less than five minutes.

Go here to share your thoughts.

Let Congress know what SNAP means

#FillUpYourPlate to Tell Rep. McGovern What SNAP Means to You

This Wednesday, Feb. 25, the House Agriculture Committee will hold its first hearing on SNAP. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) is calling on anti-hunger advocates from across the country "to share what SNAP means to you." Please join us in participating in FillUpYourPlate and help protect SNAP.

• Participate here. Responses will be posted on virtual paper plates on McGovern's website.
• Watch McGovern read stories from plates on the House floor.
• Watch his #EndHungerNow speeches.
  

"As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, and a strong supporter of the SNAP program, I will fight any proposed changes that make it more difficult for the hungry in America to get the food they need. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of poor people."    -Rep. Jim McGovern

Just Food Conference 2015

Sun, March 15, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM          
Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY, United States  

     
About the Just Food Conference

This annual event will attract over 700 organizers, community leaders, CSA members, local food advocates, urban and rural farmers, food professionals, entrepreneurs, and members of the press to participate in a full day of trainings, panels, policy discussions, and good food. This year’s Just Food Conference will be held Sunday, March 15, 2015, in partnership with the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy at Teachers College, Columbia University. The weekend will kick-off with a Pre-Conference Networking Reception the evening of Friday, March 13th, hosted by the Durst Organization.

Conference programming will cover over 40 different topics including farm and food policy issues, approaches to urban agriculture, culinary and food preservation techniques, and community-driven efforts to advance food justice throughout New York City. Eric Holt-Giménez, Executive Director of Food First, will be delivering this year's keynote speech. 

To register: https://jfc2015.topi.com/register

Child Nutrition Reauthorization 2015 Priorities Survey

In preparation for this year's reauthorization of federal child nutrition programs (school meals, summer meals, snacks, suppers and WIC), Children's HealthWatch as part of a regional anti-hunger coalition, the Northeast Regional Anti-Hunger Network (NERAHN), is conducting a brief survey to better understand our partners' focus areas for the reauthorization of the federal child nutrition programs. 

This survey looks at three aspects of Child Nutrition Reauthorization: access, funding, and administration, and asks participants to prioritize changes to programs that help increase their impact on children.

Please complete this survey and help distribute to your networks.

Who: Any organization or individual who works with or cares about children and their access to nutritious meals.

When: ASAP: Friday, February 20th.

How: Survey Link

Thank you for your time and help!

More low-income children starting the day with school breakfast

School breakfast continues to make significant gains in communities across the U.S., according to two new analyses by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) released today, which look at school breakfast participation at the district, state, and national level. During the 2013-2014 school year, an average of 11.2 million low-income children ate a healthy morning meal each day at school, an increase of 320,000 children from the previous school year, according to FRAC’s School Breakfast Scorecard (pdf) on state trends and School Breakfast — Making it Work in Large Districts (pdf).

To learn more about school breakfast participation in New York State and see local county date, go to Hunger Solutions NY.

Save the date - Food from the Farm tasting event

The public is invited to meet Northern New York farmers, food processors, wine and cider makers, and chefs with a diverse array of products at the 5th annual Food from the Farm event on Saturday, March 7 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at the Plattsburgh Recreation Center gymnasium on the US Oval in Plattsburgh, NY.

Visitors will have the opportunity to sample and buy locally-grown or produced foods, wine and cider; pick up recipes and gardening tips; meet local food producers, and support the local economy and food movement. Products for sale may include overwintered storage crops such as carrots, beets and potatoes; winter greens, frozen meat, maple, honey, wine, and hard cider.

More information here.

Source:  www.morningagclips.com

1 in 5 children now rely on SNAP

According to the U.S. Census survey of American families released at the end of January 2015, 16 million children relied on the SNAP Program in 2014, a huge spike from pre-recession levels when eight to nine million children received assistance. This increase signals that while the economy has been recovering, low-income families continue to struggle.

Source:  One in five U.S. children now rely on food stamps: Census data – Reuters, January 28, 2015