Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) has launched Fresh and Healthy Food for All, a five-year, $750,000 initiative to increase access to healthy food among low-income families and the elderly in Columbia County, New York. KK&P crafted the initial proposal which identified area opportunities for collaboration.
It was developed after careful consultation with over 80 local community members involved in food-related industries across Columbia County – including farms, food pantries, distributors, food retailers, restauranteurs, community-based organizations, schools and county agencies.
After commissioning a countywide scan of healthy food access through KK&P, BTCF engaged community members in a planning and assessment process to identify opportunities to meet immediate needs and develop a grants program to fund collaborative pilot projects.
Funding for the first year of projects totals $150,000, with renewal funding available to successful grantees in the second year and additional funding available in year two for new projects.
The following projects were awarded first-year funding:
- Hawthorne Valley Association (Ghent) – $75,000 to coordinate local and countywide cross-industry stakeholder networks that will identify areas of need in the food system and forge local solutions together. The grant will facilitate the first of a planned multi-year process to implement these strategies, as well as an expansion of food rescue programs in Columbia County in collaboration with Long Table Harvest (Hudson). Project partners will include Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood, Perfect Ten After School, St. Peter’s Gleaners and Kite’s Nest.
- The Sylvia Center (Kinderhook) – $50,000 to expand its school-based healthy eating and cooking program in collaboration with Hudson Bluehawk Nation After School Program (Hudson). The expansion begins in Hudson and moves to rural districts later in the year, and includes a produce gleaning and distribution program for students and families through partnerships with Long Table Harvest, Field Goods, Katchie Farmand Ginsberg’s Foods.
An additional $25,000 will be made available for capacity-building support at food pantries and food banks serving the county’s rural communities to help promote their engagement in the initiative.
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