GardenShare's Bimonthly Newsletter  |  December 2014
Volume 14 Number 6
Growing Community Social
In the excitement of welcoming Gloria to the North Country this fall and keeping up with lots of great programming during the transition period, our annual Harvest Social got lost in the shuffle! We are delighted to invite everyone to our "rescheduled" social on Saturday, January 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The TAUNY Center in Canton. 
 
This will be a family-friendly chance to meet our new executive director if you haven't already, socialize with your friends in the farming and food justice community, and recognize our 2014 Growing Community Award recipients, farmers Daniel (above) and Mendy Martin and their family for the work they do that provides healthy local food to so many and an outlet for other farmers to sell their products. Learn more here.
1844 Fun(d)raising Thanks!
Thanks to all who joined us for a wonderful evening at 1844 House. Together with friends who weren't able to make it, we raised more than $3,600 to support GardenShare programs. It was a wonderful evening to meet Gloria, hear GS President Sarah Bentley-Garfinkel's passion and thoughtful words about the work of food justice in our community, and talk with new and old friends about issues facing our local food network. As always, Jenny and Brian offered a delicious feast of locally sourced food. Thank you all!
Share-a-Share Supports CSA Bonus Bucks
Do you have friends and family on your holiday shopping list who would prefer a gift that benefits the community? Consider making a Share-a-Share donation in their name. 

  

Twenty-five percent of children in St. Lawrence County are living in poverty. Share-a-Share donations fund GardenShare's CSA Bonus Bucks program, which helps make Community Supported Agriculture affordable for people with limited incomes. In 2014 alone, our CSA Bonus Bucks program allowed 41 families to join the CSA of their choice while generating more than $7,000 in income for local farmers. 
 
Donate online and include the name and mailing or email address of the recipient in the "send message to GardenShare" box and, when your donation is confirmed, we will send a card to tell them of your thoughtful gift. You can also email office@gardenshare.org or call 315-261-8054 and we can help you with your Share-a-Share gift. 
Local Options for SEFA Include GardenShare!  
The deadline to participate in the State Employee Federated Appeal is fast approaching. GardenShare is one of the many fine organizations you can easily contribute to through payroll deduction if you are a state employee, so it's as painless as possible to support a growing local food system! One thing to consider is the powerful impact your contribution can have when you keep it local. Read more here.
Greetings from Gloria!   
It was great to be with some of you at the 1844 House dinner in November and I look forward to meeting many more of you at the Growing Community Social in January. 

I'll be wrapping up my work at Foodshare and marking my last holiday season in Connecticut before heading north to start full time at GardenShare on January 5. (I must be a North Country native if I'm looking forward to coming to Canton in January, right?)

While I have 30 years experience in the food and hunger policy field, I have also been away from St. Lawrence County for a long time and so have a lot to learn, or re-learn, in my first few months on the job. I hope you'll be there to answer my questions, to help me and guide me, and to continue in your support of GardenShare.
 
Together we can ensure that our food and farms are healthy and that everyone has a place at the table.
 
P.S. This holiday season do you have someone who is hard to shop for? That person who has everything? Consider giving the gift of healthy food by making a donation to GardenShare in that person's honor. We will send your honoree a special acknowledgement of your gift.
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If you haven't had a chance to read Gloria's year-end letter, please do so today and respond as generously as you can. Thanks!
Check out Gloria's GardenShare Blog
Save the Date!
Join GardenShare for a screening of "Greenhorns," a documentary film about young farmers. The film showing is part of Canton's Winterfest activities.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015, 7pm
Unitarian Universalist Church 
3 1/2 East Main Street, Canton

Watch the GardenShare website and Facebook page for details.
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Local Food, Local Places
GardenShare is pleased to be a partner with the Village of Canton on a project supported by the White House Rural Council and six federal agencies. Canton's application was one of 26 chosen from among 316, and the only applicant from New York, to receive technical assistance to build a robust, equitable, and environmentally sound local food system that can help downtown revitalization efforts. 

Learn more here and watch the GardenShare website for further information.

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Kingston Loss to Community

With great sadness we share the news of the passing of Don Kingston, a lifelong North Country farmer and enthusiastic regular at local farmers markets. Don and his wife Linda operated Kingston Roadside Stand in Madrid along with their farmers market stands. Don died on November 14. Our condolences to Linda and their family.

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Winter Farmers Markets

Canton, Potsdam, and Ogdensburg host winter markets boasting veggies, eggs, apples, meats, maple products, sweets, crafts and more. Support your local farmers, bakers & craftspeople this holiday season!
 

Fridays 9am to 2 pm, 

through December 19

Canton Presbyterian Church

Ogdensburg Green Markets 

Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, 

through December 13

First Presbyterian Church (which offers a free lunch!)

                 ~and~

Thursdays, 2 to 5 pm,

through December 11

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center 
 
Potsdam Farmers' Market 

Saturdays from 8:30am to 12 noon

CheelArena on the Clarkson campus. 

Continues all year!

EBT/SNAP are accepted at all Winter Farmers Markets.

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Grants for Gardens

Grants are available for any vegetable garden, big or small, that is organized by children with plans to donate the harvest to charitable organizations. This would be a great way for a school garden to support the community or for a youth group to take on a community project. The application deadline is December 31. Visit Katie's Krops for more information.

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Online Shopping Can 

Benefit GardenShare

It's best when you can do your holiday shopping at your local stores. But if you use Amazon for online shopping and you shop through AmazonSmile, .5% of your total will support your favorite nonprofit. Everything on Amazon is on AmazonSmile, and you can change the organization you support under Your Account.
 

So, if you're going there anyway, please go through this link, and choose to support GardenShare, or your favorite nonprofit organization.