Ithaca Community Harvest: Get Involved in Food Access & Equity

A letter from Ithaca Community Harvest's Lara Kaltman on how you can support ICH's work in the coming year:

Dear BJM, GIAC and SSCC Families & Friends,

I'd like to first thank you for supporting Ithaca Community Harvest during the holiday season, whether it’s been through making a donation at the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair, stepping in to help with the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program at BJM when the college students went home for winter break, or simply inspiring us with your stories about our children learning to love and appreciate local fruits and vegetables.

Here's another opportunity to express your interest in introducing more local produce into our schools and healthier school meals. This link connects you to an online survey on ICSD school district budget priorities, in which we are asked to identify other essential needs we'd like the Superintendent to consider as he develops the 2011-2012 budget.


For those of you who have some more time to devote, I'd like to invite you to volunteer in one or more of the following activities to support Ithaca Community Harvest:

* Sell cornbread at the Chili Festival in the Ithaca Commons to benefit Ithaca Community Harvest. Volunteers (middle and high-school students are welcome) would work in pairs for 2-hour shifts anytime between 11:30 - 4:00 pm. Contact Jyl Dowd at jyldowd@gmail.com.

* Help prepare fresh fruits and vegetables for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program at BJM for a 2-hour shift Monday – Friday anytime between 7:30 – 11:30 am. Contact Vanessa Wood at vness.wood@gmail.com.

* Pick-up apples donated by Cornell Orchards and deliver to BJM. Contact Vanessa Wood at vness.wood@gmail.com.

* Glean produce at the end of the indoor Ithaca Farmer’s Market at the Women’s Community Center on Saturday’s at 2 pm and bring to storage at GreenStar. This produce will be served at BJM, GIAC and SSCC. Contact Katie Church at fullplatefarms@yahoo.com.

* Deliver gleaned produce from storage to BJM, GIAC and SSCC. Contact Vanessa Wood at vness.wood@gmail.com.

Thank you for your time and support.
Warm Regards,
Lara
___________________

Lara Parrilla Kaltman
Ithaca Community Harvest, Lead Coordinator
607-319-4074
larakaltman@gmail.com

Ithaca Community Harvest’s mission is to create, sustain and expand a system for providing access to local organic produce to youth and families in Ithaca's public schools, with particular focus on historically marginalized populations. The system will be integrated into school and after-school culture, curriculum and meal programs, as well as home, through empowering the community to exchange volunteer labor for donated produce from our local farms and school gardens, supporting food and nutrition education initiatives and strengthening collaboration amongst community programs with similar food access and equity goals.