LOCALadk Magazine

Summer 2020 LOCALadk Magazine 51 LOCALadk critical grant of $7,000 to launch the project. Incredibly, the $55,000 fundraising goal was met after only eight days. Early feedback from recipients was ver y positive: "I re- ceived my first emergency box today. Thank you so much. This is ver y helpful to my family and me. Ever ything that came in it was amazing. I definitely would like to keep get- ting this," said one of the recipients. Another said, "I almost cried when I opened it. I've never been in a position where I've needed help like this, so it's not easy, but this is a huge relief." At the same time, project referral and screening partners were reporting more requests for food beyond the 100 EFP being prepared and delivered by Hub on the Hill each week. Adk Action decided it was already necessar y to significant- ly scale up the newly launched project. " We can definitely make more," said the ever-pos- itive Jori Wekin, director and co-founder of the Hub on the Hill. A new EFP project fundrais- ing goal of $75,000 was an- nounced, which would allow the project to increase the EFP deliveries from 100 to 150 packages per week. During this expansion, new pockets of food insecurity were identified in certain areas, so additional partnerships were developed with local food pantries in Min- er va and Tupper Lake, and the Community Action Agency of Hamilton County for the deliv- er y of EFP to those communities. Remarkably, the new stretch goal was reached in only an- other week, so a third "Super Stretch Goal" of $130,000 was set. This would allow the project to grow from 150 packages per week to 235 packages per week and would also extend the program from the original 10 weeks to 14 weeks, or un- til mid-July. The Super Stretch Goal's $130,000 was quickly met, which would provide a total of more than 2,300 boxes of fresh, healthy food to families in need—more than 35,000 meals. The outpouring of support and generosity from the com- munity has been striking: more than 700 individual donors, with an average donation of about $128, have contributed to the project. And over 100 individuals have already donated more than once. " What's especially heartening to me is the number of people from the community who have asked to help," obser ved Brittany Christenson. "Clearly this project has struck a chord during this crisis. People see this as some- thing really tangible that they can do to help both local farm- ers and families in need." She went on to relate another sto- r y: that at least two individuals donated their entire stimulus check of $1,200 to the project, with one person enclosing a note saying "I could think of nothing better to do with this check than donate to my neighbors in need." Other people have donated their time in personally picking up and deliv- ering farm products to the Hub on the Hill, or making home deliveries of EFP to local community members. After taking a socially distant "ride-along" with the deliver y vehicle during the first week of the project, Andrea Dumas, the mayor of Malone, was so excited about the project that she has been personally delivering EFPs in Malone and coordinating vol- unteers across northern Franklin County. Andrea said, "As a county legislator and village mayor, I know who the recipi- ents of these packages are. Ever y person who received a box this week really, really needed the help." The SUN Fund of the Adiron- dack Foundation has been an important funding and thought partner throughout the project. Seeing the successful implemen- tation and growth of the EFP project and the growing need for more food support in the region, Adirondack Foundation provided a second grant for $10,000 and continues to work with Adk Ac- tion and the Hub on the Hill to look for opportunities to grow the program and continue to keep Adirondack residents fed and farmers in business. Although Adk Action has met its final EFP fundraising goal, all additional donations to the EFP project will support the work of Adk Action and Hub on the Hill to continue to build a more local food system during this pandemic crisis and into the future. Working with partners, Adk Action will continue to assess the food access challenges facing the region and work to secure the resources to continue to provide Emergency Food Packages to those in need. When it is time to wind down the program, Adk Action will help recipients get signed up for SNAP and Double-up SNAP so that they can continue to get food from the Hub on the Hill's Mobile Market. With this ongoing support for local food access, it is our great hope that the Adirondack region will emerge from this crisis with a stronger food system than ever before. You can learn more or donate here: https//emergency food packages.funraise.org.

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