Cookie Till of Reeds Farm in Egg Harbor Township and Amy Cook-Menzel, co-chair of the Atlantic-Cape May County Sustainable Jersey Hub.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - The Sustainable Jersey Atlantic-Cape May County Regional Hub event held at Reed's Organic Farm Aug. 24 focused attention on some of the innovative work being done to connect people in need with fresh, healthy foods. About 50 green team members from Atlantic and Cape May counties attended the event to hear from speakers who are addressing food insecurity in New Jersey.
The event was hosted by Cookie Till of Steve & Cookies by the Bay, of Margate who has established community gardens in Atlantic City and over the last several years turned Reeds farm into a non-profit organic farm and animal rescue. Till also runs the Margate Community Farmers Market in the parking lot at the restaurant.
Many green teams and civic groups play active roles in helping community members access healthy food. They are growing and donating produce from community gardens and organizing farmers markets, and promoting Buy Fresh, Buy Local' campaigns, Hub Co-chair Ralph Cooper said. This event introduced people to programs and resources they can leverage to do even more.
Participants began the evening with a walking tour of the farm and its greenhouses, learning more about the programs and initiatives Till and her staff have implemented there.
Jeanine Cava, co-founder of the NJ Food Democracy Collaborative, spoke about actions that can be taken at the municipal level to increase access to food. Cava shared some of the resources they have developed, such as the NJ Roadmap for Food System Resilience, advocacy efforts and upcoming projects, including how to conduct municipal food system audits to determine the needs of the community.
Alicia Lisa Newcomb of C.R.O.P.S. (Communities Revolutionizing Open Public Spaces) spoke about the farmers markets it operates in Linwood and Atlantic City, and how it has made them more accessible by accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other benefits. C.R.O.P.S. also manages several community gardens locally and has recently received funding for a Mobile Farmers Market bus that will bring produce and products to different locations throughout Pleasantville. C.R.O.P.S is also looking forward to opening a storefront at Tanger Outlets The Walk shopping district in Atlantic City, which will serve not only as a market but also as a training and education center.
Lisa Martin of Clifton-based City Green spoke about Good Food Bucks, a New Jersey initiative launched by City Green that enables people using SNAP benefits to double their purchasing power when shopping for fresh produce at participating farmers markets and retail establishments.
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Devin Cornia, executive director of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA-NJ) introduced the audience to NOFA-NJ's scope of services. Cornia shared his desire to expand NOFA-NJ's connections with South Jersey farmers, growers, non-profits, and others working to improve food access in their communities.
Rutgers Cooperative Extension agents Dr. Claudia Gil Arroyo and Christine Zellers of the Cape May County extension and Belinda Chester and Joanne Kinsey of the Atlantic County extension talked about the many programs they lead and support related to nutrition and food access, including the Master Gardeners and Master Composter training programs, agricultural assistance for farmers, nutrition education and food preservation training.
Sustainable Jersey Community Engagement Program Director Lauren Skowronski discussed the actions outlined by the Sustainable Jersey certification program for municipalities and encouraged further collaboration between the participants to increase food access in their communities.
It's our hope that this event will inspire and support green teams to expand on work they are already doing, Hub Co-chair Amy Menzel said. We're planning a virtual workshop for green teams to get help with the application process so their farmers markets can accept SNAP/EBT benefits and Good Food Bucks, and I'm sure we'll see more good things come from the information shared at this event.
The Atlantic-Cape May Hub was formed to bring local green teams in the two counties together to share resources and to support each other. These periodic A-CM Hub events are an informative way to help share ideas and to find opportunities to partner on projects and initiatives.
For more information, see atlanticcapemayregionalhub.wordpress.com.
