2017 Accomplishments
January 2017: Partnering with South Central Community Action Programs and Kennie's Market, the Food Policy Council began implementation of the SNAP Fruit & Veggie Bucks program. The program provided financial incentives to SNAP recipients who purchased fresh fruits & vegetables at Kennie’s Market Gettysburg and Biglerville stores. From January 2-March 15 and April 16-May 31, 2017, SNAP customers received a 50% discount on the five most expensive fresh produce items they purchased at those Kennie’s locations. From March15-April 15, we were able to dramatically increase program participation by offering the five most expensive fresh produce items purchased for free. Over 200 SNAP recipients were served by the program and received approximately $25,000 in incentives to purchase fresh produce (average of $125/SNAP customer, or $25/month). Program participants surveyed after the program ended in May, 2017 found the program to be beneficial: their family was able to eat healthier, purchase more kinds of fruits and vegetables, were able to try new fruits and vegetables, and were able to purchase a greater amount of fruits and vegetables than they could have afforded without the incentive. Additionally, program participants were sent information about the Double Dollars program for SNAP recipients at the Adams County Farm Fresh Market. The Market experienced an increase in participation in 2017 compared to 2016, perhaps in part because of the increased awareness of the Double Dollars program among SNAP customers who participated in the Fruit & Veggie Bucks program. The program was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program, along with matching funds from the Gettysburg Hospital Foundation, Gettysburg College Center for Public Service and Rice Fruit Company. Enough funds remain for the Fruit & Veggie Bucks program to be offered again in Kennie’s Market Gettysburg and Biglerville stores from January through April, 2018. Meredith A. Cox '17, a Gettysburg College student presented the research "Fruit and Vegetable Bucks: Adams County Grocery Store Snap Incentive Program." A summary of participant survey results is also availabls
February 2017: From November 2015 through February 2016, 100 families and 53 seniors received vouchers to spend at Kennie’s market in Gettysburg, Biglerville, and Littlestown. Each family/senior received $45 per month for 4 months to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Several participants also attended bi-weekly knitting and crocheting classes throughout the winter months.
April 2017: The Gleaning Project hosted their 4th annual Empty Bowls fundraising event at Gettysburg College’s Plank Gymnasium with the support of the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College, the Gettysburg College Art and Art History Department, and South Central Community Action Programs. They received donations of soup and bread from 22 local restaurants, and donations of handmade ceramic bowls from 14 local artists. Through this event, The Gleaning Project raised over $5,000 to support their efforts to distribute gleaned produce to local neighbors struggling with food insecurity.
April 2017: 2017: Adams County Farmers Market Association aggregates its market and services to one centralize location in Downtown Gettysburg. The site is the home of Rabbit Transit providing vital transportation services to area residents including seniors.
May 2017: The 2017-2019 addition of the Adams County Local Foods Resource Guide is printed and distributed.
May 2017: The average enrollment for Market Bucks was 43 participants per year for the first three years. In 2017 participation more than doubled to 111 participants. Market Bucks voucher redemption rates have ranged from 71.8% and 86.8% over the four-year period. These Market Bucks program results compare favorably to the Wholesome Wave Fruit and Vegetable Rx program - a model fruit and vegetable prescription/voucher program serving large populations of high-risk patients in select metropolitan cities in the northeast.
September 2017: In 2017, the Gettysburg Food Pantry at South Central Community Action Programs reports serving 2,086 unduplicated families, 5,992 unduplicated individuals and 26,903 total services.
October 2017: In its fifth season, the Battlefield Garden at Sherfy Farm grows over 2,000 pounds of vegetables during the 2017 season for Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College and the Gleaning project. This farm is a collaborative of the Gettysburg Foundation, Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College and the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. Plans are in place to expand to more garden space at the Bushman Farm in the military Park.
October 2017: After moving its Thursday at Saturday market location to the Transit Center in downtown Gettysburg, Adams County Farmers Market Association has a record year for sales, including a year for sales from outreach efforts which totaled $65,797. Over $46,000 of these sales came from the Adams County Employee Wellness Bucks and Healthy Options. The remaining amount came from debit and SNAP sales as well as the double dollars initiative.
October 2017: Healthy Options wraps up its 11th season with 102 families and 62 senior citizens participating. Over $50,000 in funding for the 2017 season came from the fundraising efforts of the Campus Kitchen at Gettysburg College, Adams County United Way, CSA share donations from local farms, Gettysburg Hospital Foundation, and WellSpan’s Employee Giving Campaign. Ten Community Leaders coordinated community walks in Gettysburg, Biglerville, and New Oxford as well as events at the Transit Center market such as Family Day at the Market and Family Day. Three preservation classes and one cooking class were offered to participants, using gleaned produce at the Campus Kitchens facility.
September 2017: From June 2017-September 2017, 102 families and 62 seniors received vouchers to spend at the Adams County Farm Fresh Market at the Gettysburg Transit Center. Each family/senior received $45 per month for 4 months to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from local farm vendors. 10 leaders coordinated community walks in Gettysburg, Biglerville, and New Oxford. Participants also participated in farmers’ market events such as Family Day at the Market and Family Day at the Market. Three preservation classes and one cooking class were offered to participants, using gleaned produce at the Campus Kitchens facility.
October 2017: The Gleaning Project of South Central PA hosted their 3rd annual World Hunger Week in an effort to raise awareness about hunger related issues and advocate for local solutions to this global problem. They gleaned over 8,000 lbs of apples and winter squash in one week, and worked with volunteers to process and preserve applesauce and pumpkin puree to distribute to clients during the winter months. The week of advocacy culminated with their 3rd annual Fall Empty Bowls fundraiser hosted at the Adams County Farmers Market, in which community members donated $15 to The Gleaning Project. In exchange, they received a unique ceramic bowl of their choosing full of a homemade apple treat and a scoop of Mr. G’s ice cream. This event helped to raise $1,500 to support The Gleaning Project’s efforts to make good use of agricultural excess, reduce food insecurity, and improve nutrition in Adams County.
November 2017: Adams County Food Policy Council hosts a Community Food Forum to energize the movement for access to healthy and local food. Participants focused discussions on affordability (preparing, cooking, preservation, supplying), child/family nutrition, community gardens, affordability of healthy foods, communication, grower’s concerns around pricing and selling, farm to school and school lunch programs and farm food loss/gleaning.
November 2017: 2017: After a few years of waiting to see how the food hub would develop there has been some success. Two school districts have started to purchase local produce from the South Central PA Harvest Hub. Conewago School District and Bermudian Springs School District have both been loyal customers. Also, this year we were reacquainted with Kristin Markley, who is now the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator for the Healthy Food in Health Care Program which is a part of the organization “Health Care Without Harm”. This organization is a national non-profit that works with over 1000 hospitals to transition health care food service to a healthier dietary pattern that is less resource intensive and protects the environment and our finite resources. They also seek to empower health care facilities to employ population health management by building local food systems and creating access and affordability of healthy local food through their investments, purchasing, and operations. Healthy Adams County arranged a meeting between Kristin, the South Central PA Harvest Hub and the WellSpan Health Food Service Director and several food service managers from Gettysburg and York Hospitals. The outcome of that meeting was the decision to create a path for the food service managers to purchase local produce for hospital use.
December 2017: The Gleaning Project of South Central PA wrapped up the 2017 season in which they recovered almost 200,000 lbs of fruits and veggies from 90 generous farms, markets and back yard gardens. This was only possible with the help of 650 volunteers who dedicated 2,700 hours harvesting, processing, and transporting produce. They were able to distribute this food to 17,000 community members through a network of 50 community partners including food pantries, shelters, senior centers, subsidized housing units, after school programs and summer camps. Additionally, they offered several free gardening, cooking, and preservation classes to clients in an effort to improve health and nutrition in our community.