AmeriCorps Opportunities with the Food and Health Network!
We are currently recruiting for the second year of our Farm to School Corps program! The Farm to School Corps is part of our collaborative Farm to School work with partners located throughout South Central New York. Farm to School Corps members will work as part of an expanding regional team to develop, implement, grow, and evaluate programs to bring healthy, local food to students. Members will work with staff, students, parents, farms, and community partners to increase capacity for hands-on learning, local procurement, and creating a school-wide culture of health. Positions are 1200 hours, schedules and start dates are flexible but can begin as early as September.
We are also recruiting for two AmeriCorps VSITA members to serve with FaHN! The FaHN Program Assistant VISTA and the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program (FVRx) VISTA will serve as integral members of our team and advance capacity for a growing non-profit organization. Positions can begin as early as June but start dates are flexible.
Thursday, May 9th was NY Thursday!Eating local helps support local farmers, protects the environment, and ensures access to fresh and healthy food items. May’s NY Thursday Menu featured Dinosaur BBQ Oven Roasted Chicken from Cascun Farms, Wheat Dinner Roll, Asian Cabbage Salad and Oven Roasted Potatoes from Headwater Food Hub, Fresh Apple from Russell Farm, and Byrne Dairy Milk. New York Thursday happens on one Thursday of every month. Eating local food is a powerful tool for social, personal, and environmental change, so please join us for lunch!
NY Thursday was double the fun last month! Our Farm to School team held a taste test at Tioughnioga Riverside Academy with the help of 3 special guests: Faith Vavra from Congressman Anthony Brindisi’s office, Mark McMullen from New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and Jennifer Martin, Executive Director of New York School Nutrition Association.
Last week, our Farm to School Corps Member, Maggie, helped students at Homer Brink Elementary School get seeds started for the Spartan Garden! Over the next month they will be taking care of their seedlings in the classroom and doing experiments. Read more by visiting our Food for Thought Blog!
Developing Community Food Systems
Rural Health Network collaborated with Binghamton University’s Interprofessional Education (IPE) program to host three poverty simulations last month in the Mandela Room at BU!Food Bank of the Southern Tier Speakers Bureau members spoke during each event on their personal experiences with poverty and food insecurity.
Close to 190 students participated in the three simulations. We were also supported by several community volunteers, including 15 service members from the Rural Health Service Corps. Rural Health Network Poverty Simulations aim to simulate the lived experiences of low-income and food-insecure families. The simulations also highlight many of the structural obstacles to socioeconomic mobility, personal health, happiness, and employment. Learn more about the simulations by reading BU’s write-up of the event here!
In collaboration with our partners at VINES we are teaming up to bring a VINES Farm Share site to Court Street on the East Side of Binghamton! Farm Share is a weekly subscription to a box of local veggies. You sign up ahead of time and pick up your share each week at the same time and location. The pickup site will be located at our office space at 455 Court Street Binghamton, NY! Learn more about Farm Share and sign up here.
Along with Origins Cafe, the Cooperstown Farmers' Market, Bassett Healthcare, and the Leatherstocking Region Youth Farmers' Coalition we partnered to host the second annual Otsego Youth Food Movement on April 26th. The event brought together 11 schools and over 100 students to learn and celebrate local food and agriculture. Learn more about the event and how you can get involved in future ones here.
Erin Summerlee, FaHN Director, and Julie Raway, Broome Tioga BOCES Food Service, presented a workshop on the power of collaboration in farm to school at the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics AME 2019!
News from Our Network
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County is hiring for an Emerging Crops Specialist! The position will be responsible for providing leadership for planning and developing educational programs that emphasize the production and management of emerging crops, developing a formal program that supports the growth and expansion of industrial hemp, hops, grains for the local craft beverage or bakery industry, or other emerging crops in New York State, and a variety of other duties. Learn more and apply here.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County and Southern Tier 8 are hosting an Industry Summit for Agriculture and Food Business leaders in Binghamton, NY on May 23rd. Learn more and register here.
The Cooperstown Farmers' Market began their summer hours earlier this month! Make one stop at the market and find everything you need to enjoy our diverse local bounty. Thirty growers, producers, and artisans, all located within 50 miles, provide your weekly staples including fresh seasonal produce, pasture raised meats, handmade breads, artisan cheeses, grass-fed milk and free range eggs. Learn more here.
NOFA-NY is hiring for a Handling Certification Coordinator Assistant! The position will be based in their Binghamton, NY office and is responsible for providing administrative support to the Certification Coordinators to ensure the timely intake and flow of certification applications through the entire certification process. Learn more and apply here.
Open Grant Opportunities
United States Department of Agriculture: Several open grant opportunities Learn more here.
Community Foundation of South Central New York: Small Grants, Application deadline: May 15, 2019. Learn more here.
Chobani Community Impact Fund: Letter of intent due June 28, 2019. Learn more here.
