Feeling a little tired of the cold whether? Nothing says spring like the beginning of garden season! Every year people from across the country celebrate National Garden Month by enjoying the great tradition of gardening at home, at school and in the community. Looking to get involved? Check out local organizations like VINES or your local Cornell Cooperative Extension to see how you can grow food in your community!
The School Garden Support Organization Network has been hosting a series of webinars throughout the last month. Register now for the April webinars that will continue to showcase the promising practices compilations from the 2021 Virtual Leadership Institute, a project of Life Lab in partnership with Whole Kids Foundation. This four part webinar series is diving into key areas relevant to SGSOs:
We have officially opened the 2021South Central New York School Garden RFP! Schools in Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties can apply for $250 – $500 in funding to build or expand a school garden. Learn more and apply here.
In the last two years we have awarded garden grants to Binghamton's West Middle School and Roosevelt Elementary School, Vestal's Glenwood Elementary School, Windsor's A.F. Palmer Elementary School, Sidney Central School District, and Johnson City Elementary School. These projects facilitated purchases of soil, seeds, fencing, garden beds, and equipment that supported the expansion and addition of new school gardens.
News from the Food & Health Network Team
We are very excited to welcome three new members to our team! Hannah Rion started with us in the beginning of February as our new Farm to School Coordinator. Gabrielle Costley and Brooke Ward also recently started with us as AmeriCorps VISTA members. Read more about Hannah, Gabrielle, and Brooke below!
Hannah: My name is Hannah Rion and I am the newly hired Farm to School Coordinator for Food and Health Network program at Rural Health Network of South Central NY. I recently graduated from Paul Smith’s College, where I studied Sustainability and Entrepreneurial Business. Growing up in Delaware County all of my life, I am overjoyed to be serving the South Central New York region in this capacity. My upbringing was heavily focused in agriculture, as I had the pleasure of being raised on a small farm, where I continue to reside today. My appreciation for food and the journey it takes to reach the mouths of many, grew fonder during my time at Paul Smith’s College.
Brooke: My name is Brooke Ward and I am the new FVRx Program VISTA for the Food and Health Network at Rural Health Network at South Central New York. I recently graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo, where I graduated with an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Sociology. During my time at Geneseo, I recognized my passion for both food systems and food justice. My interests only grew as I learned about the connection between sustainable food systems and the important role these systems play when determining one’s health.
Gabrielle:My name is Gabrielle Costley, and I am the new VISTA Program Assistant for the Food and HealthNetwork at RuralHealthNetwork of South Central New York. I recently graduated from Binghamton University, from which I received an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies Public Policy. In my time at Binghamton, I developed an interest in environmental planning and sustainable communities. Thanks to my coursework I was able to learn more about the surrounding history of Binghamton, which offered me insight into local food systems and community stakeholders.
Written by Pam Guth, Director of Community Health Services
Rural Health Network SCNY Leadership Team and Community Health Workers check in with clients, communities, partner organizations and each other! We conduct daily phone calls, health and well- being checks verbally, virtually or while visiting and practicing social distancing and masking. We may ask, “How are you doing?” We listen and watch for signs, and seek clarification when people are struggling, surviving, thriving and most often, somewhere in between. We explore deeper by asking, “Do you/family have what you need? What would be helpful to you? What can you do today? What is getting in your way? ”
As spring approaches us this month, along with the one- year milestone of living during a pandemic, the Rural Health Network Community Health Workers encourage you all to visit the Mental Health First Aid curriculum for resilience and self- care tips. Please consider paying it forward by checking in with socially isolated individuals.
• Prioritize self- care for own health/well-being to improve caregiver resiliency
• Let friend/loved one set pace/tone for supportive conversations
• Listen and communicate empathetically without judgement
• Acknowledge life experiences, changes, stress responses and emotions due to pandemic
• Share community resources
• Encourage additional social supports or professional help
Don't let transportation stop you or someone you know from getting a COVID vaccine!
Getthere is offering transportation to a vaccine appointment in Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, and Tioga counties. Contact us at (855) 373-4040 Monday through Friday from 7am until 7pm!
Farm to School
March was National Nutrition Month! The Food & Health Network team collaborated with VINES, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, United Way of Broome County, and Rock on Cafe to publish an educational video series in recognition of the month. National Nutrition Month is an annual occurrence since 1974 that seeks to promote nutrition and healthy eating. Coming off of the success of 2020’s health and wellness expo, we focused our attention on elementary age children, however families, educators, and anyone wanting to learn more about nutrition can access our material at our website here. In addition to the visual resources made by our partners, we also collected videos created by other dieticians and food educators as well as some reading material and activity sheets.
One big highlight of month was getting materials into two Thomas Jefferson Elementary School classrooms for an activity hosted by Cornell Cooperative Extension. The activity was part of the SNAP-Ed NY apple sandwich tutorial. The students, teachers, and FaHN team were all ecstatic about hands-on learning with a tasty treat to boot! We hope we can make more educational video series, workshops, and activities in the future so stay tuned and thank you for your continued support!
The April New York Thursday menu for the Broome Tioga BOCES district's will feature loaded nachos with New York State pinto beans sourced by Headwater Food Hub. Delaware Chenango Madison Otsego BOCES will be colllaborating with us next year to host a monthly New York Thursday menu in their 11 school districts. We are looking forward to our continued partnership with Headwater Food Hub and other local and regional growers to make this partnership a success!
The FaHN Team got in the spirit of National Garden Month by volunteering our time at Sidney Elementary School earlier this week! Sidney is in the process of installing a beautiful brand new garden that will include ten raised beds, learning space, and berry bushes.
Community & Regional Food Systems
Gabrielle Costley, our Program Assistant VISTA, attended the National Anti-Hunger Policy conference virtually this year. Check out her reflection! The Annual National Anti-Hunger Policy conference hosted by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America was held virtually from March 15th - 18th this year. The conference facilitated a great deal of discussion and education about battling hunger and poverty in the United States. This article aims to reflect and provide a brief overview of what I learned from the conference, as well as highlights from the various panels.
Overall, the conference summarized how federal, state, and other localities improved and adapted their practices. The COVID-19 pandemic required innovative and creative ideas for tackling hunger. This conference also provided updates on policy and plans to improve the existing framework for food programs. Some of the most common points of discussion were improving child nutrition, enhancing communication, and introducing greater equity into programs. Read more at our Food for Thought Blog.
Members of the Food & Health Network team are participating in the Annual 21 Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge for the second year in a row. The challenge is hosted by Food Solutions New England and "goes beyond individual or interpersonal racism by helping to demystify structural and institutional racism and white supremacist patterns that are sometimes invisible to people. Finally, the Challenge inspires you to act, on your own or with others in your organization, business or group, to dismantle these systems, to make changes in your work and the world that can build true equity and justice for all." Learn more and register here!
Food Systems and Policy News
USDA: Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently announced that USDA is establishing new programs and efforts to bring financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and producers who felt the impact of COVID-19 market disruptions. The new initiative—USDA Pandemic Assistance for Producers—will reach a broader set of producers than in previous COVID-19 aid programs. USDA is dedicating at least $6 billion toward the new programs. Learn more about the new initiative here.
New York State Health Foundation: On March 24, 2021, NYSHealth hosted a webinar discussion on food scarcity rates in New York State during the pandemic and the impact on food-insecure New Yorkers. Food insecurity has become its own crisis within the coronavirus pandemic. Mass losses in employment have curtailed New Yorkers’ ability to afford food. Stay-at-home orders and social distancing measures have significantly impeded reliable pathways to food access such as meals provided in community settings or schools. Watch a recording of the webinar and access related resources here.
National Farm to School Network: Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of Congressional leaders introduced the Farm to School Act of 2021 (H.R. 1768) which will support our nation’s schools, farmers and communities in building back equitably from the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill, sponsored by Representative Stacey Plaskett (D-VI), Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) and Representative Alma Adams (D-NC), will expand funding for and programmatic scope of the highly successful USDA Farm to School Grant Program, while also ensuring that more communities – specifically those serving racially diverse and high-need student populations, as well as engaging with beginning, veteran and socially disadvantaged farmers – have a competitive opportunity to benefit from this valuable program.
Seeking relevant local health stats? In a hands-on interactive demonstration, the Care Compass Network Population Health team will show participants how to find up-to-date local health and population indicators and data from its new Community Health Data Center. CCN has created a one-stop shop for your local health information needs, bringing together a range of demographic, health status, social determinants, and economic information. Learn more and register here for the webinar, which will take place on April 23rd.
Open Grant Opportunities
Chobani Community Impact Fund
Applications are opening soon and an information session will be held on April 28th. Learn more here.
USDA Community Food Projects
Applications close on May 4th. Learn more here.
USDA Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program
Applications close on April 15th. Learn more here.
Cedar Tree Foundation
Rooted in Justice Fund letter of intent is due April 30th. Learn more here.
