May 15, 2020
We at NJHCN hope that this brief and targeted communique will help you navigate the constantly changing COVID19 world. As your partner in building healthy communities, we will curate the most useful and current resources to help you and your organization during this crisis and build capacity for the future.

Resources include:
  1. Official Information
  2. Resource Pages
  3. Grants and Funding
  4. Media
  5. Training and Development

All resources will also be posted on our website for ongoing reference. Please forward to colleagues, partners and friends who may benefit from this information.

Please send us any new resources or opportunities to share.
Grantee Spotlight
Boys & Girls Club of Clifton

With community partners, the Boys & Girls Club of Clifton distributes Family Food Packs every Friday. The Club has made access to 1500 packs, over 20,000 lbs of healthy food - to over 810 families. Food packs include fresh carrots, potatoes, onions, apples and oranges, cereals, canned foods, mac and cheese, and sandwiches. 

Click on the photo to see volunteers in action!

Official NJ COVID-19 Information
NJ COVID-19 Information Hub
The official COVID-19  Information Hub  for the  State of New Jersey . Find the latest news, guidance, resources, and support here.

COVID-19 Information and Resources
Learn about resources policy advocacy opportunities , and  stories  about how the National Farm to School Network and the wider farm to school movement are adapting during the COVID-19 pandemic .

DCAid Program Eligibility Screening Tool
The DCAid tool is a quick and simple process that allows people to find out if they are eligible for  housing assistance programs utility assistance homelessness prevention services , and other programs that will help to improve their quality of life.

Resources
Framing COVID-19
Source: Frameworks Institute
Guidance from twenty years of framing research and practice to help advocates and experts be heard and understood in a time of global crisis. Use inclusive language that connects people to the bigger picture: explain health, enhance community, and offer hope.

Grants and Funding
COVID-19 Rapid Response Infrastructure RFP
Sponsor: Mosaic
Deadline(s): May 22, June 12, July 2
Mosaic will make $1 million rapid response grants to individual nonprofit grassroots organizations, and networks of them, focused primarily on environmental protection and/or environmental justice to fund tools & technology, training and related resources needed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Red Backpack Fund
Sponsor: The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation
Deadline(s): June 8, July 13, August 10
The Red Backpack Fund seeks to support businesses and nonprofits run by people who are women-identifying.
In the case of nonprofits, leadership must be 51% or more controlled, operated, and managed by a woman or women to be eligible to apply.

Media
15 Ways that local communities and organizations are responding to bicycle and pedestrian access during COVID-19
Source: New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Resource Center
The New Jersey Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Council’s Design and Infrastructure Subcommittee organized a virtual meeting to discuss ongoing efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian access through the stay-at-home order issued as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting highlighted 15 ways in which local communities and transportation organizations are responding to bicycle and pedestrian needs during COVID-19.

Training, Collaborations and Networking
Food Security and Access During COVID-19
May 20, 2020 - 10 am ET
Sponsor: Creative New Jersey
Join to connect, support and learn from colleagues in communities around the state. Panelists include:

COVID-19 and the Impact on Communities of Color
May 20, 2020 - 2 pm ET
Sponsor: Trust for America's Health
Registration is full at this time. Please register to add your name to the waitlist and/or be notified when the recording is available. A recording of the webinar will be available within a week of the live event.

Waitlist Open (register to get recording)
Transforming Healthy Communities Work During COVID-19
May 28, 2020 - 2 pm ET
Sponsor: NJHCN
This pandemic brings home the great worth of NJHCN grantees' work to prevent chronic disease! We are all experimenting right now so please join the conversation to share how you are adapting and innovating in this new corona era world to keep working towards community health.

For example:
  • What will your community garden look like? 
  • How will you make farmers' markets safe and accessible?  
  • How are you gathering assessment data?  
  • Can you teach kids to garden even if they are not at school? 
  • How will you encourage safe use of new paths and parks?
  • How are community members helping you figure this all out?

Janet Heroux and the NJHCN coaches will guide the conversation.

In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration - a conversation with author and neuroscientist Shane O'Mara
June 3, 1 pm ET
Sponsor: America Walks
As a neuroscientist and walking advocate, O’Mara takes us on an evolutionary journey through how we started walking, the magical mechanics of it, and how we find our way around the world. It also explores walking in relation to repairing our mental and social health, sparking creativity, and how walking in concert can be coupled with critical policy change.

This one-on-one webinar is sure to inform your walking and walkability work and ethos, and we have built in ample time for questions and answers. This webinar is intended for those just starting out on the walking path as well as those interested in learning more about the topic.

Dispelling Myths about Crime and Promoting Trail Safety
June 4, 11 am ET
Sponsor: The Circuit Trails Coalition
A recent poll reported that the number one issue preventing the trail development is negative perceptions around crime and safety on trails. This webinar will arm you with the data and information you need to dispel these myths and ensure that the design and operations of your trail discourage crime and creates feelings of safety for trail users. Panelists include:
  • Paul Gordon, Senior Transportation Planner, Bucks County 
  • Britt Storck, Principal, Alta Planning 
  • Michael Trzaska, Lead Ranger for Chester County Parks and Open Space

Reimagining and Repurposing Engagement during COVID-19
REPLAY Recorded April 30, 2020
Sponsor: Project for Public Spaces
This webinar featured a conversation focused on a variety of perspectives, tools and experiences related to engagement practices considering the difficulties posed by COVID-19. As a result of what’s happening now, how will engagement evolve moving forward? What can we do to better inform our practice? How are communities included in the recovery process? A look at best practices that can be applied to a range of contexts, reflecting on key questions and challenges ahead, and why instead of putting engagement on hold, it is more important to do what we can right now.