healthy food - Toxic Charity - how our efforts to help may actually hinder... - SIBEJO

Have you read the book, "Toxic Charity" by Robert Lupton? 

This is a book primarily about churches and the charity projects they undertake, but it has lessons for all of us working to build a better world.

Two themes that really resonated with me (and I'm sure there may be more in the future):

Volunteer projects - When a group or even an individual wants to volunteer, it's important to establish motives.  Is it more important that the volunteer activity meet the needs of the volunteers or the needs of the community / the organization you are volunteering with?

This may seem easy to answer, but I can't tell you how many times people have called me with ideas for things they want to do that don't really meet the needs or mission of GardenShare.  They often have a hard time accepting "no" for an answer, even though I think that I am, for the most part, pretty diplomatic in providing that answer!  

Then there are the volunteer groups who expect nonprofits to spend our limited resources to feed the volunteers lunch or provide t-shirts or other things.  We've already spent a lot of resources in staff time setting up and organizing the project, so don't be surprised if we say no to those requests, also!

Ending hunger or poverty -  The book has lots of examples of programs that have not succeeded in ending the social ill they set out to fight.  And a little guidance about how to do better.  Lupton says the key is in relationships.

"To effectively impact a life, a relationship must be built, trust forged, accountability established.  And this does not happen in long, impersonal lines of strangers.  A name and a story have to be attached to each indivdual face.  Highly personal life struggles must be explored and with each person a unique action plan created.  A bed for the night...where to get a job...treatment for addiction...escape from an abusive husband...childcare for homeless children...a wheelchair for an amputee."

This is the same conclusion that I have come to in my 30+ years of work in the anti-hunger field.  We won't end hunger by building bigger food banks and distributing more and more food.  We will end hunger one family at a time, because each family's needs will be different.  And we can only do this by mobilizing an army of volunteers who will work one-on-one with people in need and build these kinds of relationships.

At GardenShare, we have two primary ways of building community - the CSA's and the Farmers Markets.  Can you help us think about other ways we can build community and engage people in need with people who can help?

healthy food - Auction at GardenShare's annual dinner - SIBEJO

A silent auction will be one of the highlights at GardenShare's annual dinner (after the outstanding, locally-sourced menu prepared by Jake's head chef Josh Taillon!) coming up just two weeks from tonight.  Hope you're planning to join us on June 14 at Jake's on the Water.

Here are some auction items donated to date:

Potsdam ACE Hardware gift certificate
Adirondack Fragance and Flower Farm gift certificate and gift basket
Potsdam Agway gift certificate
Best Western gift certificate for one night's stay
Brewer Book Store gift certificate
Northwind Day Camp one week campership
Cinema 10 season tickets
Planter and gardening supplies from Coakley's ACE Hardware
First Crush gift certificate
One treatment at Five Elements Living
Glow Skincare and Spa gift certificates
A piece of jewelry from Inlay Design
A pedicure at MH Studio
Ole Deckside gift certificate
A half gallon of maple syrup from the Orebed Sugar Shack
Golf at Partridge Run
Bread from the Potsdam Food Co-op
Golf and dinner at the Potsdam Town and Country Club
Three month membership at the Roos House Fitness Center
Pick-your-own berries at Sweet Core Farm

More auction items are being donated every day.

To learn more about the dinner or order your tickets, go here.

healthy food - THE POOR PAY MORE - SIBEJO

Prices for everyday purchases at grocery and drug stores are increasing faster for low-income Americans than their wealthy counterparts, according to new research from Harvard University. Researchers found that retail prices are increasing by more than 2% per year for goods purchased by consumers with incomes below $30,000, but just 1.4% per year for those with incomes above $100,000. Most of the price discrepancy can be attributed to wealthy consumers� habit of buying premium brands, which tend to have more stable prices over time, according to the study. While apparently small, if that divergence continues it would become hugely important in a relatively short period of time. After 20 years, for example, every dollar in the pocket of a poor consumer would be worth just 88 cents compared to what a wealthier consumer would be able to buy with it at the grocery store, given the differences in inflation and in both consumers' preferences.

Source: Washington Post, 5/20/16, Poor Pay More

healthy food - THE COST OF FOOD INSECURITY - SIBEJO

New research finds that food insecurity costs families with young children over $1.2 billion in health care, special education, and workplace productivity. Hospital care for food-insecure children under age 4 cost over $500 million, while special education costs for such 3- and 4-year olds were nearly $675 million.  The study�s authors recommend, among other things, changing the way SNAP benefits are calculated, eliminating participation barriers in WIC affecting pregnant mothers and toddlers, strengthening the Child and Adult Food Program, and enhancing the Summer Food Program.

Source: Children�s Health Watch, 5/20/16,   Food Insecurity Costs

healthy food - ATTACKING FOOD WASTE ON TWO FRONTS - SIBEJO

Celebrity chefs, including Tom Collichio, descended on Capitol Hill this week to testify about the roughly 70 billion pounds of food wasted annually in the United States.  They will join experts and advocates before the House Agriculture Committee, which is holding its first full hearing on the topic. The chefs urged lawmakers to support a bill sponsored by Representative Chellie Pingree, (D-Maine) that would adjust food labels with the goal of waste prevention. From there, the chefs head to the White House for a round-table discussion on food waste. Of course, they also ate--�recovered� food, pasture-raised beef tartare tendon, and trap-caught mackerel and Maryland oysters served with green garlic and herbs.

Source: NYT, 5/25/16, Celebrity Chefs Don't Waste Food

Scores of new companies are trying to spin profits out of food waste. Several start-ups are chasing ways to use food waste to make other edibles. Some are aiming to quickly distribute food that is about to be thrown out. And yet others are working to use every last ounce of ingredients. The business of food waste is not well tracked; most data available now is on funding for individual companies. But Back to the Roots, which sells products such as a mushroom-growing kit that uses coffee grounds, recently raised $5.8 million from individual investors like Michael Pollan. EcoScraps, which turns food waste into gardening products, has raised $13 million. Cerplus is an online go-between, linking farms and wholesalers with food on the verge of going to waste with restaurants and other businesses. The company started serving the Bay Area in January and now has shipped more than 13,000 pounds of food to more than 60 clients.

Source: NYT, 5/25/16, Food Waste for Profit

healthy food - Let�s reconnect�June is National fruit and vegetable month. - SIBEJO

Put winter doldrums to rest and reconnect this month with freshness.  It�s at your fingertips this month with local farmers markets and roadside stands.  Meander around a market and see what looks good to you and take in the abundance of fresh food your local farmers have been putting their energy and heart into.  

Perhaps it�s the ripe strawberries you haven�t had since last June or the garlic scapes your friend loves to pickle, asparagus, or simply, lettuce.  Look for your favorites or try something different.  This could be your opportunity to reach outside the food �box� and discover something that may become a new staple in your home.   Ask questions when you�re at the market; the consumer/farmer connection can be quite encouraging. 

Eating fruits and vegetables doesn�t have to be clich�cook up some rhubarb-strawberry jam so the bright freshness can be yours deep into the winter months.  Take it a step further and reconnect with a friend or relative you just haven�t had time to connect with and ask if they have a worthy recipe.  The best recipes are the tried and true ones that get passed along.  Better yet, invite them over to help.  An afternoon of cooking and banter is good for the soul.  

Another option to do all of this while keeping your kitchen clean, is to take a cooking class together.  TAUNY, in Canton, is holding a class June 22-�Beyond Pesto, Creative Condiments with North Country Herbs�.  Call 386-4289 to sign up!

Take the time to cook.  Take the time to reconnect.

Written by Jenelle Matthews, GardenShare Outreach Coordinator

healthy food - Gouverneur Famers Market opens tommorow, June 2 - SIBEJO

The Gouverneur Farmers Market opens on Thursday, June 2, on the Village Green in Gouverneur.  The market will be open from 9:00 to 2:00 every Thursday until October.

The Canton Farmers Market is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Tuesday and Friday until October.

The Potsdam Farmers Market is open from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM every Saturday until October.

Farmers markets in Hammond and Massena will open next month.

Farmers Markets are held rain or shine.

In June at the Farmers Markets, you may find asparagus, beets, broccoli, green onions, herbs, lettuce, peas, radishes, rhubarb, scallions, spinach, and strawberries, among other things.  In addition, the markets frequently have other food, wine, and craft vendors. 

All Farmers Markets in St. Lawrence County are equipped to accept debit cards or SNAP-EBT benefits (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps).  To use these cards, the customer should visit the Market Manager's booth, where the cards can be swiped and tokens will be provided to spend with the farmers.  GardenShare manages this service for the Farmers Markets and more information can be found at http://gardenshare.org/content/farmers-markets

This year, thanks to a generous grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, GardenShare will be able to double the value for anyone purchasing at the Farmers Market with a SNAP-EBT card.  For each $5.00 charged to the SNAP-EBT card, the customer will receive $10.00 worth of tokens that can be spent for SNAP approved items like fresh fruits and vegetables, seeds, or food plants at the Farmers Market.

In addition, SNAP-EBT customers will receive a frequent customer card.  After visiting and purchasing food at the market five different days, the SNAP-EBT customer will receive an additional $20.00 in tokens to be spent at the Farmers Market for these food items.  This benefit is also supported through the grant from Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield.

"Shopping at our local Farmers Markets is certainly a fun way to meet your neighbors and area farmers while picking up the freshest, healthiest produce possible," said Gloria McAdam, executive director of GardenShare.  "Shopping at the Farmers Markets is especially important because it supports our local farmers and keeps that money in the local economy.  Everyone deserves the chance to take part in the community-building of a Farmers Market and to eat the great food.  GardenShare is happy we can make the benefit of this healthy, locally-grown food accessible to our lower-income neighbors."