|
|
|
|
|
On May 8th, the Food & Health Network partnered with the Food Bank of the Southern Tier and CCE Broome to host Growing Health Forum: SNAP & Health in the 2018 Farm Bill. The event was part of FaHN's series of Growing Health Forum's and was attended by over 60 anti-hunger, health, and community advocates. Discussions explored the ways in which SNAP impacts health and supports communities – from access to nutritious food and chronic disease prevention to supporting local agriculture and business. Learn more about this year's Farm Bill by checking out the latest updates from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Food Research and Action Center. You can read news coverage of the event by clicking here.
|
|
|
|
Forum panelists included: Wendy Pursel, graduate of Food Bank of the Southern Tier's Speakers Bureau and member of the Southern Tier Advocacy Committe; Yvonne A. M. Johnston, DrPH, MPH, MS, RN, FNP, Direcor of Master of Public Health Program and Professor, School of Nursing, Binghamton University; Randi Quackenbush, Advocacy and Education Manager, Food Bank of the Southern Tier.
|
|
|
Food Policy Resources:
Food Research and Action Center: Summer Meals in Rural Communities: Get the Facts: The Summer Nutrition Programs can fill the hunger gap that exists during summer break for millions of low-income children in rural communities. Pairing summer meals with summer programs addresses the loss in learning that too many low-income children experience over the summer months. Read more here. Also check out our report Summer Food Service Program 2015 Regional Assessment: Closing the Gap on Childhood Food Insecurity to learn more about summer meal programs in rural communities.
From the National Farm to School Network: The Senate Agriculture Committee is currently preparing its version of the farm bill, which means NOW is the time to make your voice heard and ensure that farm to school priorities are included. The National Farm to School Network’s priorities for the 2018 Farm Bill are:
- Adopt the Farm to School Act of 2017 to increase mandatory funding and expand access for the USDA Farm to School Grant Program.
- Amend the Geographic Preference provision in the existing farm bill to allow the use of “location” as a product specification when procuring school food.
- Continue and expand to more states the Pilot Project for Unprocessed Fruits and Vegetables and allow participating states more flexibility in procuring fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Take five minutes to pick up the phone or write an email to both of your Senators about why farm to school is important in your community. Learn more here.
|
|
The National Farm to School Network provides dozens of helpful resources including information on getting started with farm to school, statistics on its benefits, resources for evaluating your current farm to school program and a collection of previous webinars that discuss a variety of topics related to procurement of local food, garden based learning, and the economics of farm to school. Learn more by clicking here.
NYS Health Foundation: Farm-to-school food programs have long been heralded as a "win-win" for farmers and students alike. Farmers find a wider audience for their goods, while students consume more fresh foods, which can lead to better health and academic performance. In the State budget for the fiscal year 2019, New York enacted an ambitious "No Student Goes Hungry" program, which includes raising the State reimbursement rate for school meals from less than 6 cents to 25 cents per meal for every district that spends at least 30% of their food budget on locally grown or produced products. Read the NYS Health produced issue brief here.
|
|
June 12, 2018
Tuesday, 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm
|
Ithaca's Taste of the Nation
Share our Strength, Ithaca College Athletics and Events Center, Ithaca, NY. Register here.
|
|
June 15, 2018
Friday, 5 pm - 10 pm
June 16, 2018
Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm
|
The Owego Strawberry Festival
Owego, NY. Learn more.
|
|
July 3, 2018
Tuesday, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
|
Cooking with Fresh Herbs and Greens Workshop
VINES, Lee Barta Center, Binghamton, NY. Register here.
|
|
July 15, 2018
Sunday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
|
Much Ado in the Garden
CCE Broome, Cutler Botanic Garden, 840 Upper Front Street, Binghamton, NY. Learn more.
|
|
|
It Takes a Region Conference
October 25-27, 2018
NESAWG, Downtown Sheridan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Learn more.
|
|
NYS Health Foundation
Sponsoring Conference Participation in Support of Health Communities, Consumer Empowerment, and Veteran's' Health: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more here.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Community Access to Child Health Programs Applications open June, 2018. Learn more here.
George A. and Margaret Mee Charitable Foundation
Applications deadline: June 30, 2018. Learn more here.
CHS Foundation National Agriculture in the Classroom
CHS Classroom Grant due: June 30, 2018. Learn more here.
Hoyt Foundation
Letter of inquiry due: July 27, 2018. Learn more here.
Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic with support from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation: Technical Assistance Proposals: Approaches to Reducing Consumption of Sugar, Application deadline: July 31, 2018. Learn more here.
|
|
Volunteer Opportunities: The Tioga Outreach Center is looking for a volunteer to help with mobile food pantry distribution. If you are interested in volunteering with them contact Laurie Ellis at Laurie.Ellis@dor.org
VINES is looking for volunteers to do door to door flyering to provide outreach for its Farm Share program on June 12th if you are interested in helping contact Kate Miller-Corcoran at farmshare@vinesgardens.org to sign up for a shift.
Job Opportunities: AmeriCorps Positions promoting Food Access & Health! There are still 300 hour summer positions in Broome and Chemung Counties available! VINES and Faith in Action have already filled their slots, so if you are interested be sure to apply today! Check out our open Program Assistant position here.
Learn more and apply: Rural Health Service Corps website.
Food Bank of the Southern Tier: Position opening for a PantryTrak Specialist. This full-time position is responsible for the implementation of PantryTrak, a computer based client intake system, at food pantries and mobile food pantries (MFPs). Learn more and apply here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
