Volunteers, donors, friends...

Canton Farmers Market Manager 

Jenn Whittaker

The leaves are starting to change, the air growing crisp, so it may feel like summer is drawing to a close. But things aren’t winding down at area farmers markets. You’ll surely still see Jenn Whittaker at the Canton Farmers Market every Tuesday and Friday throughout October.

Jenn is Canton’s market manager, and she is also a vital GardenShare volunteer and supporter. She serves as co-chair of our Outreach and Education Committee, and Jenn and Erik are members of our Sustainers’ Circle.

The Whittakers have long been interested in issues related to food policy and systems. “I’ve always been interested in how food gets to our plates,” says Jenn. But their interest became more personal and focused when their children, Arianna (15) and Braden (12), each developed substantial food allergies. “It became even more important for us to understand where our food comes from, how it is produced.”

It’s all in the family! Arianna (center) 

and friends provide music entertainment 

at the farmers market.

The Whittakers first became aware of GardenShare when they moved to Canton from the Malone area about seven years ago. “We had friends who were involved, and we were given a Local Food Guide to help us know where to find locally grown food.” She also remembers being delighted to find that she could use her credit or debit card to buy tokens to purchase produce at the farmers market.

As she learned more, she decided to get more involved. “This work is incredibly important,” says Jenn. “Food is a necessity, people can’t choose if they want to eat.” Jenn joined the O&E Committee, the kids pitch in helping at the farmers market and stuffing newsletters, and they all joined in the fun creating a float and representing GardenShare in Canton’s Dairy Princess parade.

Erik and Braden marching for 

GardenShare in veggie costumes 

in the Dairy Princess parade!

Erik and Jenn are GardenShare Sustainers, meaning they have made a three- year financial pledge to support the organization. “It’s just so important the people aren’t hungry,” says Jenn with her characteristic passion. “GardenShare brings people together and builds partnerships to solve issues of poverty and hunger. For us it’s a starting point to strengthen our community in our food justice efforts,” she says. “That’s why it’s so important to us to support and contribute to GardenShare’s work.”

It’s friends like the Whittaker family whose support and hard make GardenShare’s work possible in so many ways.

ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES AT HIGHER RISK OF FOOD INSECURITY

New research finds that adults with disabilities—mental health disabilities in particular—are at an increased risk of living in a household that is food insecure. Working-age adults have higher odds of food insecurity than young adults; older adults have lower odds of food insecurity than young and working-age adults. Some of these differences may be explained by the different levels of access such populations have to government programs such as employment services, Supplemental Security Income, and Social Security. The analysis showed that adults with a mental health disability were three to five times more likely to live in a food-insecure household, depending on age, than demographically similar adults without a disability. Mental health disabilities were the only type of disability that resulted in a significantly higher likelihood of food insecurity for all age groups considered.

Source: USDA, 9/5/17, Disability & Food Insecurity

HARMONIZING “USE BY” LABELS TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE

Confusion over "date" labels on foods is a major culprit in creating food waste. Once a "sell by" date has passed, lots of us toss out food that's perfectly safe to eat. The typical U.S. family spends about $1,500 on food it then throws away. A new initiative aims to harmonize "use by" labels around the globe. The Consumer Goods Forum, a network of 400 of the largest food and consumer goods companies around the globe — including Walmart, Kellogg, Nestle, Campbell Soup, and Amazon — is asking retailers and food producers to take steps to simplify date labels. The forum is asking producers to use two standard phrases on food packages in the future:

• "BEST if Used By," which describes the quality of a food product. This term is meant to convey that "the product may not taste or perform" its best after the specified date, "but it is safe to use or consume," and
• "Use By," which applies to highly perishable products. It means the products should be consumed by the date listed on the package and disposed of after that date.

Source: NPR, 9/20/17, Food Labels

New semester, new interns at GardenShare

Name: Meredith Nordell

Hometown: Greenfield, MA 

Role at GardenShare: Student Volunteer 

How long? September 2017-December 2017

Why I do what I do at GardenShare: Food insecurity has always been an issue that I have been passionate about, when I saw the opportunity to volunteer at an organization like this I jumped at the opportunity because I believe that it will not only allow me to make a small difference in the wider community but I can also get a better sense of the area itself and the people who live and work here. 

Role outside of GardenShare: I am a full time student majoring in sociology and minoring in Chinese studies at St. Lawrence University! 

Hobbies: Spending time outdoors (hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, backpacking, rock climbing, etc...), climbing trees, reading, spending time with friends, sketching

Most recent accomplishment: Being awarded the IB Diploma after 2 years of hard work.  

Favorite book? Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 

Last read? Plato's Republic, for a Philosophy class

What one word would you use to describe yourself? Fun-loving 

What are you most proud of? My commitment to the Chinese language, (this is my 7th year taking it.)

What would I find in your refrigerator right now? Apple cider, cupcakes, cheese and lemonade. 

SENIOR HUNGER

Food insecurity threatened 14.7% of seniors in 2015, a slight decrease from the prior year. Researchers have documented the characteristics of the seniors who struggle with this problem. They found:

• Seniors who are racial or ethnic minorities, low-income, or younger vs. older (age 60-69 vs. age 80+) were most likely to be affected.
• Seniors with a disability were disproportionately affected, with 38% reporting marginal food security.
• Senior food insecurity rates vary by state, ranging from 6.1% in North Dakota to 24.3% in Mississippi. Connecticut’s rate was 14.2%

Food insecurity adversely affects a person’s health, and the implications can be particularly problematic for seniors. Compared to food-secure seniors, food-insecure seniors: (1) consume fewer calories and lower quantities of key nutrients and (2) are more likely to experience negative health conditions, including depression, asthma, and chest pain

Source: National Foundation to End Senior Hunger, 9/18/17, Senior Hunger

Fight Hunger 5K Update

Thank you ALL for a wonderful turn out at last Sunday's Fight Hunger 5K. We certainly were lucky with the weather...maybe a little too lucky!

Congratulations to the committee, staff, and volunteers on pulling off a smooth-running and very successful event. We will have an official report and numbers soon, but a current snapshot shows 122 registered participants (I suspect with children and others who weren't on a registration form, that number is a bit higher) and with sponsors and donations we raised more than $10,000! We'll have to wait on the bottom line on that, too, once all expenses are accounted for and final donations straggle in. All in all, we exceeded our goals, and we have a lot to be proud of. Thank you all.

If you haven't seen some of the fun pictures Brianna took, check out our Facebook page.

If you were meaning to make a donation but never quite got around to it, there is still time - go here!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Update

This blog has been rather empty the last week as I made an emergency trip to the hospital.  I am back home now and hope to be back at work on Monday.  So, look for some new activity on the blog!

Gloria