Garden Club- Grant Profile

In the garden, we grow more than fruits, flowers and vegetables; we grow bodies, minds, and spirits!

– Kaitlin Doherty, Mill Road Garden Teacher

This past May, the AFF approved a three year grant to the Garden Club, specifically for garden supplies and educational programs that are hosted at the Mill Road Community Garden. The garden serves as an outdoor classroom for students in the elementary school. Students learn everything from seasonal eating, to plant life cycles, to seed saving, to composting. The garden has been used by many different ages groups, and for activities such as after-school garden club, flex classes, science classes, and engineering design classes. The Garden Club has also started programming to transform the space into a tranquil place for mindfulness and meditation, specifically to help students with social-emotional issues.

We’re so excited to be a part of this program. This grant was one of six we’ve funded so far in 2018, as part of our 25 Grant Initiative. Amy Parrella and the Mill Road Garden Committee sent us this wonderful picture of a hand-painted thank you note that students helped create! How beautiful!

No-Cost Farmer's Market

This past weekend the AFF, along with many community partners, hosted a no-cost Farmer’s Market at the Red Hook Community Center. Here are some reflections on the event, from Director/Founder Nick, Class of 2018 Ambassador Brenna Dolen (RHHS ‘12), and Class of 2018 Ambassador Emma Donahue (RHHS ‘14).

Brenna, Nick, and Emma

From Nick: The wildly successful No Charge Farm Market this weekend was initiated & organized by two of our 2018 ambassadors in Brenna Dolen and Emma Donahue. What a production and what results they realized! As part of our month long Nourish Your Neighbor Food Drive the event provided nutritional local farm produce, fruits, and even a fresh frozen turkey to 75 families and individuals. A crowd of about 150 was delighted by Chef Larry Anthony's food demonstrations, enjoyed the music from Maggie Rothwell, were amazed by food science experiments from students through Bard's Center for Civic Engagement, painted some pumpkins, and picked up a few necessities from our Community Action neighbors. The produce, fruits, and other foodstuffs were donated by Montgomery Place Orchards, Migliorelli's Farm, Brittany Hollow Farm, Bread Alone, TOPS, Adams, and Hannafords. And our turkey giveaway was made possible by the generous offering from Sky High Farm and the use of a refrigerated truck from Erina at Farmer's Door was a godsend. We're grateful for the 25 or so volunteers from the RHFA, the Rotary Club, and Bard who assisted in staging the Community Center from 10am to noon yesterday morning and in creating the market atmosphere. We're so pleased to have had such wonderful Red Hook Community support in assisting and embracing those members of the area who are less fortunate. Kudos to Everyone who had a role in the Market's success! 

Brenna and Nick with Maggie Rothwell. We loved hearing her perform!

From Brenna: This community certainly has enough fresh food for everyone, it's just a matter of distribution of surplus and minimizing food waste. The donations we received from local farms were enormously generous, and I feel grateful that these community members came through with enthusiasm to support this event. This event would never have been possible without their support.

It is important to remember that the people receiving these donations may be the same people giving back a few years from now and vice versa. There was an immense amount of gratitude from community members, and support from our volunteers.

Between Maggie Rothwell's joyful voice, Chef Larry's food demonstrations, Bard CCE's chemistry activities, winter coat giveaways from Community Action, and pumpkin painting, the energy in the room was so positive. 

Chef Larry did some great cooking demonstrations for everyone!

From Emma: I never could have imagined what a huge impact this event would have on Red Hook's community.  As someone who has been lucky enough to afford fresh, local produce I was not aware of the prevalence of food insecurity in this area.  Coming together within the community has made me understand the wide gap that we worked toward bridging on Saturday.  Utilizing this farm market as a means to work together to decrease the connection between food insecurity and health was amazing.  Seeing everyone enjoying the delicious treats prepared by Chef Larry, chatting with individuals who were visiting the market, and feeling the sense of community that warmed the Red Hook Community Center was inspiring and gave me a glimpse into the possibilities for the future of food drives and steps toward bettering the relationship between food insecurity and health.  I am excited at the prospect of continuing these healthy, sustainable food drives as well as continuing the work with community partners, families, and individuals.

The Farmer’s Market may be over, but our Nourish Your Neighbor campaign is just getting started! This food drive runs until November 27th. Read more here.

Red Hook Community Center Gala

WOW - What a Night - A few directors, family members, and Nourish Your Neighbor (NYN) Food Drive partners shared a table, a little bubbly, a wonderful meal and delectable chocolate desserts at the 2nd Annual Red Hook Community Center (RHCC) Gala Fundraiser this weekend. Our intern Nick Fiorellini, ambassador Emma Donahue, directors Brittany Mosher, Ali Fraenkel, and Nick Ascienzo were joined by NYN collaborators Sarah deVeer and Erin Cannan from Bard's Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), and Darryl and Debby Mosher, who are assisting in food resourcing for NYN. Among the more than 140 people gathered, our team of party-goers enjoyed the sound provided by Paul Rivers Bailey and The Forefathers and the cuisine prepared by Savona's under the direction of Ali's dad, Chef Tony! 

Sara Ugolini, the Executive Director of the RHCC, and her board members hosted the fundraising celebration, complete with raffle packages (Brittany won one!) and donation opportunities to financially assist the RHCC’s needs. We have been a proud partner of the RHCC for the last two years - it has shown to be a vibrant hub of Red Hook activity, and many Gala guests spoke to the continued commitment to programming for folks of all ages. Our Red Hook community was in full view during the festive evening!

The Transportation Issue

Happy National Drive Electric Week! We have some exciting news to share- Red Hook has secured funding, through a NYS DOT grant, for electric passenger vans to provide transportation for seniors and differently-abled individuals. The Ascienzo Family Foundation wrote a letter of support for the grant, and is working to provide matching funds to help support this initiative. We look forward to working with the town and other community partners to implement this ambitious plan.

Transportation is vital for enabling senior community members to stay connected to social services, get to medical appointments, and stay connected with friends and family around town. In 2011 the Office of Aging surveyed seniors in the area and found that over 80% cited transportation as being one of the top five biggest problems for seniors. According to a study done by the Poughkeepsie-Dutchess County Transportation Council in 2015 “transportation is vital in keeping individuals that have disabilities engaged in the community. Whether trips are for medical appointments, work/day habilitation, shopping, or socialization/recreational opportunities, the provision for transportation affords those physically or cognitively unable to drive, a measure of independence, which is linked to a higher quality of life. Without transportation, individuals are reliant on others – usually family or other caregivers – for their transportation needs.”

Lastly, a note from our Director and Founder Nick Ascienzo: We’re encouraged that this initiative will lead to increased collaboration with community groups in the Red Hook area. Elder mobility to and from programs, appointments, and other venues were the underlying goals of our outreach, but an expansion of Red Hook transportation services benefits the entire community - integrating generations - their needs and activities, is the essence of community building.

Congrats to the Town of Red Hook for securing this grant!

Circle Camp- Grant Profile

A member of our inaugural class of ambassadors, Betsy Kirtland, has been active in advocating for grants on behalf of nonprofits since 2016. For the past two years, Betsy has advocated for Circle Camp, where she has volunteered as a counselor for several years. Here’s a short blurb from Betsy about that experience, and how the Foundation has played a role:

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“This August, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to volunteer for a week at Circle of Fleur de Lis.  Circle is a week long free camp that is for young girls ages 7-17 who have lost a parent. Although what brings all of the campers to Circle is their tragic loss, the traits that they all share that stand out most in my mind are their courage, strength, and resilience.

This year I was placed with a group of five 14 year olds.  On the first day, they told each other the stories of how they had lost their parent, and shared their feelings of anger, sadness, and confusion over what had happened.  Less than an hour later, though, they all were jumping in the lake and laughing at each other’s silliest dives off the dock. This duality is what makes Circle so special.  While the girls are at camp, they are encouraged to feel their grief while also feeling happy, to feel confused while also feeling understood, and to feel sad while also feeling safe.

Circle of Fleur de Lis cannot thank the Ascienzo Family Foundation enough for their generous grant this past year, which was enough to pay for six campers to attend.  Circle truly is an incredible week for the campers, many of whom would not be able to afford to attend a summer camp otherwise. Circle is by far my favorite week out of the year, and I know that most of the campers would agree with me - one girl even said that she was going to super glue herself to her bunk bed so that she never had to leave!”

Thanks for sharing, Betsy! (And thanks to Kelly Mosher, another Circle Camp volunteer, and Betsy for the photos).

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