Hello Folks,
As we drive around the North Country, we can see signs of spring. Snow is nearly melted, sun is shining, sap buckets are hanging and people look happy to be outside. Then we drive back up to Bonno Rd and there is still at least a foot of snow on the ground. Oh well, at least the buckets are hanging collecting liquid gold and the sun is shining. Our batteries have been fully charged for the last week. What a good feeling after a winter of cloudy skies.
We have made a bit over a gallon of syrup, so far. Yesterday there was a bumper crop of sap. Mike collected 15 gals! The syrup is amazing this year; so incredibly sweet. It always tastes better when it comes from your own trees.
Mike is starting to work over at Farmer Bill's. He cut a tree today to get more sunshine on the gardens. He'll be in the greenhouse planting, soon.
The number of days left in the school year are dwindling fast. The kids at Little River have gone from sledding to running around the field during break time. Spring fever is definitely in the air. Attention spans are dwindling almost as fast as the number of days.
Enjoy the sun and warmth.
Maria
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Hunger in the North Country
Hi Folks,
Last Thursday a group of like minded individuals met at St Lawrence University to discuss the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.
It was officially entitled: Democracy in Action: No Politics just Service and the theme was: Hunger in the North Country.
The conference was attended by farmers, an official from the DSS Food Stamps division, food pantry leaders, free will dinner organizers, SLU students, GardenShare representatives, UShare garden organizers and members of the general public who have an interest in creating solutions for the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.
We defined a few of the contributing factors to the problem of hunger here in St. Lawrence County. The first issue was resistance to receiving help. Many people are eligible for food stamps and other assistance, but are leery of the bureaucratic process. The second issue is transportation. There are many people who do not have access to transportation. There is a bus service, however the schedule has not proven very reliable. The third issue is lack of jobs and the fourth is the jobs that are available are generally low income.
The conference was divided into four tables: farmers, food pantry, free-will dinners and meals on wheels. After listening to Brian Bennett, a local farmer, talk about his vision. There was then a panel of five community leaders who answered questions from the student facilitators. At the end, each of the tables discussed solutions for the identified problems.
When it came to brain storming solutions many people had many ideas. Here are a few: we agreed that the organizations that work to help the neediest in our county are doing a great job. They, however, need more support from the community in the form of volunteers. The Free-Will dinner organizers can help the U-Share garden folks with the late harvest and can then use the food in their meals. The idea of canning and freezing surplus for later use was raised. To help with the transportation issue: it was suggested that those of us who have cars and use them regularly, take the bus more often. This would increase ridership and help the schedulers work out routes that work for more people. One thought that continually returned was the dichotomy of being rural, some see benefits others see the problems of being a rural community. Some thought being rural highlighted the isolation of people. Others see being rural an asset because it can create community and connections.
This session was just the beginning. It highlighted the number of people in the community who are dedicated to solving the problem.
If you are interested in joining this conversation or have time to volunteer...contact us and we can provide more information.
Take care all,
Maria
Last Thursday a group of like minded individuals met at St Lawrence University to discuss the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.
It was officially entitled: Democracy in Action: No Politics just Service and the theme was: Hunger in the North Country.
The conference was attended by farmers, an official from the DSS Food Stamps division, food pantry leaders, free will dinner organizers, SLU students, GardenShare representatives, UShare garden organizers and members of the general public who have an interest in creating solutions for the growing problem of hunger in the North Country.
We defined a few of the contributing factors to the problem of hunger here in St. Lawrence County. The first issue was resistance to receiving help. Many people are eligible for food stamps and other assistance, but are leery of the bureaucratic process. The second issue is transportation. There are many people who do not have access to transportation. There is a bus service, however the schedule has not proven very reliable. The third issue is lack of jobs and the fourth is the jobs that are available are generally low income.
The conference was divided into four tables: farmers, food pantry, free-will dinners and meals on wheels. After listening to Brian Bennett, a local farmer, talk about his vision. There was then a panel of five community leaders who answered questions from the student facilitators. At the end, each of the tables discussed solutions for the identified problems.
When it came to brain storming solutions many people had many ideas. Here are a few: we agreed that the organizations that work to help the neediest in our county are doing a great job. They, however, need more support from the community in the form of volunteers. The Free-Will dinner organizers can help the U-Share garden folks with the late harvest and can then use the food in their meals. The idea of canning and freezing surplus for later use was raised. To help with the transportation issue: it was suggested that those of us who have cars and use them regularly, take the bus more often. This would increase ridership and help the schedulers work out routes that work for more people. One thought that continually returned was the dichotomy of being rural, some see benefits others see the problems of being a rural community. Some thought being rural highlighted the isolation of people. Others see being rural an asset because it can create community and connections.
This session was just the beginning. It highlighted the number of people in the community who are dedicated to solving the problem.
If you are interested in joining this conversation or have time to volunteer...contact us and we can provide more information.
Take care all,
Maria
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