July 2020
"A taste of summer." River Edge Farm. Brushton, NY.
Image courtesy of the Farm-to-Table Initiative led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.
"May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." - Peter Marshall
Virtual Dinner Recap
Thank you all who ordered meals and joined us for the first ever GardenShare Virtual Dinner!

Volunteers delivered 220 meals to just about every corner of the county and we raised more than $10,000 to fight for food security in St. Lawrence County.

If you missed the event live, there is a recording available here. Enjoy videos about GardenShare and celebrating local food in St. Lawrence County along with some excellent music from local musicians.
GardenShare founder, Phil Harnden, enjoys his virtual dinner.
And a special thank you to the rock stars of this event! To the chefs at Big Spoon Kitchen and The Blue House (coming soon); the farmers who produced this delicious food; our musicians The McKennas , Doug and Jill Rubio, and Gretchen Koehler Music and Syl Foisy; and to all the volunteers that put in so much work to make this event a success - we really couldn't have done this without you!

Thank you to everyone who helped us feel the strength, resilience, and fierce community spirit that is so characteristic of the North Country.
Successful Food Distribution
GardenShare partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County and Church and Community Program to host a free food distribution in Canton last Friday.

More than 750 individuals in 200 households were able to receive food through this Coronavirus Food Assistance Program event. In addition to food, toilet paper and hand sanitizer were distributed thanks to donations from United Way of Northern New York .



Food distribution volunteers from GardenShare, CCE SLC, Church and Community Program
Double Up is Here!
The Double Up Food Bucks program is here!

The program provides a $2-$2 match - up to $20/day - for fresh produce purchases when you use your SNAP benefits at the farmers markets! 

When you swipe your SNAP card, you will automatically receive silver $2 Double Up tokens to use at the Canton, Gouverneur, Hammond, Massena, and Potsdam markets. These tokens do NOT have to be used the day you get them - they do not expire!

Check out the GardenShare Farmers Market Customer Guide or stop by the Market Manager's table at any of the farmers markets to learn more.

This program is a great way to stretch your food dollars and put fresh fruits and vegetables on the table, especially for families who are receiving SNAP for the first time through Pandemic-EBT !
Image courtesy of Field & Fork Network and the Double Up Food Bucks website .
Image courtesy of the July Mature Living newsletter from St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging
Senior and WIC Farmers Market Checks
Farmers Market Nutrition Program checks are being distributed now. Check are available for Seniors through the St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging and WIC recipients through St. Lawrence WIC .

WIC farmers market checks will be distributed at various locations - including the Canton farmers market - throughout the month of July. Watch the Facebook page for this month's schedule. The checks can be used at the following markets in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties:
Image courtesy of St. Lawrence WIC

Senior Distribution Schedule and Requirements:
Image courtesy of the July Mature Living newsletter from St. Lawrence County Office for the Aging
North Country Anti-Racist Resource
As a food justice organization, we are constantly striving to do everything we can to fight against inequalities. But this work must also be done within our organization. As we fight against systemic racism, we must also fight the racism that lives in our own communities and within ourselves.

One of the ways we are doing this is through the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) and Adirondack Diversity Institute's (ADI) Anti-Racism Listen-In Series .

"Each session in the ADI’s Antiracism Education and Mobilization Campaign will provide language, tools, techniques, and most importantly strategies to identify, understand, and build more racially just and equitable communities in the North Country."

Check out the schedule and register for sessions online and follow along on their Facebook page for more information.

Recordings of the sessions will also be made available on YouTube.