GardenShare's Bimonthly Newsletter  |  February 2014
Volume 14 No. 1
Help Improve School Food!
 
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 
7:00 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church
3 1/2 E. Main St., Canton
FREE!
 
Join GardenShare for a free screening of Cafeteria Man as part of Canton's Winterfest Activities.
 
Cafeteria Man is the energizing true story of rebel chef Tony Geraci and his mission to radically reform Baltimore's public school food system. The film will be followed by an interactive panel discussion moderated by Paul Hetzler. 
 
Our panelists include:
  • Cindy Overton; Food Service Manager, South Jefferson Central School
  • Dave Gravlin; Food Service Director, Potsdam Central School / Parishville-Hopkinton Central School
  • BlueJay Fenlong; Food Service Director, Canton Central School
  • Cathy Carr; Teacher and 2012 NY Ag in the Classroom Teacher of the Year, Canton Central School
  • Sarah Bentley-Garfinkel; School Program Director, Health Initiative
  • Gemma DelRossi; Student, Canton Central
  • Eli Smith; Student, Herman-DeKalb
Come with your questions and ideas to improve school food!
What Is a Food Policy Council?

GardenShare is in the initial stages of collecting input from the community on the need for a Food Policy Council in St. Lawrence County.

 

Food Policy Councils (FPCs) bring together stakeholders from diverse food-related sectors to examine how the food system is operating, and to develop policy recommendations for local governing bodies on how to improve it.

 

While FPCs are not a new concept, their structures, practices, and policies are still evolving. There are currently more than 130 FPCs at the city, county and state levels in the U.S., all with different structures depending on the needs of their constituents. 

 

St. Lawrence County has several layers of government at the county, town and village levels. All of these entities make decisions and implement policy that affect local agriculture, local food security, and other food-related businesses that create jobs in our community, yet none of these entities has a broad food plan or statement, and none of these entities coordinate their actions with the others. 

 

You can read more about Food Policy Councils here.

 

If you are interested in this idea, and would like to provide your input and insights, please contact us at info@gardenshare.org.

Save the date: 
Hunger Is A Problem We Can Solve

A Place at the Table, a documentary about hunger in the U.S., is being shown by Cinema 10 on April 7, followed by a GardenShare-sponsored panel discussion. 

Monday, April 7
7:15 pm
Roxy Theater
20 Main St., Potsdam
Support GardenShare: Cabin Fever Trivia Night
 
Saturday, February 8
6:30pm - 9:30pm
Parkview (upstairs from the Blackbird)
107 Main St., Canton
 
Join host Ellen Rocco for a unique Trivia Night experience. Tickets are $20 a head. Bring your own team of four, or we'll match you up with a team.
 
We encourage pre-registration.
315-261-8054 or office@gardenshare.org.
 
Trivia Night is sponsored by:
* Green Hammer Construction/John McCloskey
* The Health Initiative's Creating Healthy Places St. Lawrence County Project
* Stauffer Farms
* St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union
* SeaComm Federal Credit Union
 
Prizes donated by lots of area businesses and farmers! More details available here. 
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The 2014 Local Food Guide
The deadline to get into this year's Local Food Guide is March 14!
AD RATES and information are available here.
TO BE LISTED, send in your listing form! If you are a SLC farm or business that sells local food, you should receive a form in the mail soon. If it doesn't arrive, give us a call so we can get you in there. 315-261-8054.
Don't miss these opportunities to be in St. Lawrence County's comprehensive guide to local food, farmstands, farmers' markets and food assistance programs! 
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CSA Bonus Bucks Launches March 1 
If you are a CSA Farmer in St. Lawrence County, you should have received a CSA Bonus Bucks participation form in the mail. If you'd like your CSA to be part of CSA Bonus Bucks, helping to make your CSA more accessible to more people, return the form to us by February 17. The program will launch March 1, and we want to make sure your information is included on forms, publicity, and on our website. 
 
GardenShare is pleased to be able to bring this program to SLC again this year, offering a $100 reduction on the cost of CSA for low-income households. 
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Free Grower Workshops

NCGC is hosting a series of free workshops at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Canton. Topics include Food Safety, Good Accounting Practices, Season Extension and more. 

 

More information is available here.

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