News stories tagged with "community"

(11/07/11) Music, socializing and food will be part of Gardenshare's Harvest Social this Thursday night (7pm) at SUNY Potsdam. The event is free and open to everyone. GardenShare is a nonprofit organization seeking to end hunger and strengthen food security in northern New York. The group will also present its nine annual Growing Community Award. Todd Moe spoke with Phil Harnden, Executive Director of GardenShare, about Thursday's event.

(05/16/11) Last week, the US Census found that the New York population is aging much faster than the rest of New York state. The average resident in St. Lawrence County is forty years old. The number of young children in the county, below age five, dropped ten percent over the last decade.

In Hamilton County, the median age is even higher - more than 51 years old. That's thirteen years older, on average, than New York state as a whole. Brian Mann was in Hamilton County last week talking to people about the Census findings and what these numbers mean for their communities. He talks with Martha Foley.

(04/20/11) Across the North Country, volunteer fire squads are struggling to find new recruits.

Departments face a lot of challenges. Many small towns have fewer and fewer young people.

Training demands have grown over the years.

As Chris Morris reports, the region's fire chiefs are organizing to try to rebuild the tradition of service. more

(02/15/11) The cancellation of two chili cook-offs in St. Lawrence County this month is prompting a clash with local health officials. Many community groups rely on food-related events for their fundraising.

The state health department says it's trying to work with those groups to prevent food borne disease while letting the show go on. But some local leaders say the rules are arbitrary and too onerous to follow. As David Sommerstein reports, state lawmakers are stepping in to seek a compromise. more

(10/08/10) The group 350.org is spearheading a world-wide community workday Sunday. It's called 10.10.10. Volunteers across the region will pick up hammers, shovels and garden tools and join the Global Work Party. It's being called the world's largest day of practical action to fight the climate crisis. Todd Moe found some SUNY Potsdam students and community volunteers who got ahead of the game last weekend by helping with fall chores at a community garden in Potsdam.

(09/13/10) A second year of planting seeds for food and friendship in a community garden in Plattsburgh was a success. The Plattsburgh Community Garden Group manages dozens of garden plots in the city that are offered to residents to grow their own produce. The gardeners come from a variety of gardening backgrounds, some novices, some experts. There's even a teaching garden plot. Doug Butdorf chairs the gardening group, and told Todd Moe that gardeners took home, or shared, lots of healthy tomatoes and other veggies from more than forty garden plots this year.

(08/04/09) A group in the Adirondacks is getting serious about a greener more sustainable world. Todd Moe talks with Gail Brill, of Saranac Lake, about plans for a community store, the Adirondack Green Circle, Transition Towns initiative, and passing "traditional" skills like gardening, canning and baking bread to the next generation.

(04/16/09) Our "A Year of Hard Choices" series continue today. Over the next several months, we'll track the effects of the recession though people and organizations in this region, and the choices they make in response. Charitable foundations are an important part of the fabric of local life. They fill in the gaps between tax-supported, public services, and the broader needs of a community's people and organizations. Martha Foley talked with Alex Velto, the long-time executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation, about how it's adjusted to the new economic realities.

(02/24/09) Last week, we aired a story about the state Health Department's rules against serving home-cooked food at community events. You can listen to that story on our website at ncpr.org. The food regulations have been in existence since 1997. But in many cases, they're just catching the attention of local groups. The Church and Community Program in Canton has decided to cancel its weekly "lenten luncheons" in March. State health department director in St. Lawrence County, Bruce Stone, says health officials aren't cracking down. He urges event organizers to contact the health department so he can help events go on as planned while also satisfying health codes. The number in Canton is 315-386-1040. Last week's story elicited a strong reaction from local event organizer Patricia Greene. She submitted this commentary.

(12/17/08) During hard economic times, many nonprofit organizations face a double challenge. A weak economy often means decreasing revenue, but increasing demand for services. Cali Brooks directs the community foundation serving the Adirondacks.