AdkAction Expands Its Emergency Food Packages Fundraising Goal to Provide Over 35,000 Meals from “The Hub on the Hill” to Families in the North Country

Public welcome to donate at https://emergencyfoodpackages.funraise.org

Jori Wekin & Brittany Christenson prep Emergency Food Packages at the Hub.

AdkAction and the Hub on the Hill have teamed up to create Emergency Food Packages (EFPs) to help tackle food insecurity which is on the rise because of the Covid-19 outbreak. These Emergency Food Packages are intended to help people around the community who have recently lost their jobs, are unable to shop safely, or need extra food assistance because of COVID-19. The food packages contain roughly a week’s worth of healthy food for one person and all of the ingredients are sourced from local farms. Some of the items in the box include: eggs, bread, yogurt, granola, apples, greens, freshly prepared entrees, and soups.

Initially, AdkAction and The Hub on the Hill had set out to package and deliver 1000 Emergency Food Packages over the course of ten weeks. Referrals are vetted from several local partner organizations, many of which operate food pantries, that have a long history of directly serving individuals experiencing food insecurity. Once referred, households will continue to receive these food packages either weekly or bi-weekly for the duration of the 10-week program, translating to a sustained, reliable system of food support during the height of the pandemic crisis.

Now, only two weeks into the Emergency Food Package program, AdkAction has exceeded its “stretch” fundraising goal of $75,000, and is now approaching $115,000 raised from over 500 individual donors in the community.

At the same time, the need for these packages is much greater than originally estimated. AdkAction has received more referrals in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, and Hamilton Counties than available EFPs, so AdkAction and The Hub on the Hill are increasing their delivery of weekly Emergency Food Packages from the original 100 EFPs per week to 235 EFPs per week. The duration of the program will also be extended from 10 weeks to 14 weeks, until July 16, 2020. In order to do this, an additional kitchen partner will be added to expand capacity.

To support this expanded program, AdkAction has decided to raise the EFP campaign goal one final time to get additional food to identified community members in need. Now, the public can help AdkAction meet a final fundraising goal of $130,000, representing a total of 35,000 meals. AdkAction staff time, software, and other resources are being donated to the EFP Project to ensure that 100% of donations received are spent on the food from local farmers, and also for fair wages for the kitchen staff who are cooking, packing, and delivering the Emergency Food Packages.

AdkAction Executive Director Brittany Christenson explains, “Our new and final fundraising goal is not just a theoretical number–it represents a list of households that we know are in need of this healthy, local food. We have their addresses, we know what they need, we just need the resources to act.”

Visit https://emergencyfoodpackages.funraise.org/ to learn more.

AdkAction is a New York Not-for-Profit Corporation, with Articles of Incorporation filed with the New York State Department of State, and is recognized as a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Donations are tax deductible.

The Hub on the Hill is inspired by the region’s local makers, farmers and food artisans of the North Country. It is not only a hub for local food and culture, but also a community space fostering creativity and shared services. Through collaboration it strives to cultivate the dynamic local economy. The Hub currently consists of a shared-use commercial kitchen and co-packing services, cold and dry storage, as well as shop and office space. Located at 545 Middle Road, Essex, NY.