Hi Everyone,

I am wishing you all a Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and anything else you want to celebrate! We all need to celebrate anything we can, to balance the grief of this past week!

This Weekend’s Violence Went to My Core

The level of violence in this country and around the world is so depressing, sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed. This past weekend especially had me upset. It started with a mass shooting at Brown University, where two students were killed and nine others injured, when a masked assailant entered the the lecture hall. (As of this writing, the shooter is still at large) Following that news, I heard of the massacre that took place at Bondi Beach in Australia during a Chanukah celebration, where 2 gunmen opened fire, killing 15 people and injuring dozens more. Then, the final blow for me, was hearing about Rob Reiner and his wife’s stabbing, and the thought that their son may have done it. It is all so sad and infuriating, especially since our government officials don’t seem to be able to come to any consensus on how to regulate guns, deal with antisemitism and hate in general, or provide help for the millions of people in this country living with severe mental illness. My heart goes out to all the young people who fear going to school, and their parents who want to believe school is a safe place to be. There have been at least 75 school shooting this year and 391 mass shootings, with a total number of shooting deaths nationwide at 13,929. What will it take to get our government officials to control guns, and show empathy for the people and not side with the gun manufacturers and the NRA?

Community Solidarity Sets the Stage for Love & Compassion During the Holidays and Always!!

Times are tough for so many people this year, between inflation, the job market, and immigration. If you are one of the lucky ones, you are in a position to help! Community Solidarity is a local non-profit organization that provides thousands of pounds of free groceries to our neighbors in need at 6 different locations each week. During the holiday season, they also give away donated toys, so that no child is left without a gift. Below is information about their toy drive.

Holiday Toy Drive Details: 

From now until Dec. 25th, you’re invited to drop off toy donations (new & used toys) at any of our Food Share locations, and you’re also invited to join us as we share those toys on the following dates.

Sign up by clicking the button below. 

Thursday, Dec. 18th @7pm – at our Farmingville Food Share

Saturday, Dec. 20th @Noon – at our Wyandanch Food Share

Saturday, Dec. 20th @3pm – at our Bedstuy Food Share

Sunday, Dec. 21st  @2pm – at our Hempstead Food Share

Tuesday, Dec. 23th @7pm – at our Huntington Food Share

Thursday, Dec. 25th @7pm – at our Farmingville Food Share

Can’t make it to a share? These businesses are hosting toy collection bins for us & you can drop off at the following times: 

Huntington:
Nautilus Coffee (open all week, 7am-4pm)
1000 New York Ave Unit A, Huntington Station, NY 11746

Levittown:
Green Street Eatery (tues 11am-3pm, wed-sat 11am-7pm, sun 10am-2pm)
7 Emerson Ave, Levittown, NY 11756

Sayville:
Tiny Raccoon Books (wed-sun 11am-7pm)
277 Railroad Ave, Sayville, NY 11782

Williston Park:
Rock n Roots Vegan Eatery (mon-fri 10am-6pm, sat 11:30 – 3:30pm)
469 Willis Ave, Williston Park, NY 11596

NOFA-NY’s Winter Conference is Almost Here!! January 9th & 10th at S.U.N.Y. Purchase

Now this is worth celebrating!! NOFA-NY (The Northeast Organic Farming Association) is working for everyone, not just farmers, to protect our food supply!  NOFA-NY is our representative in Albany and Was

hington DC, to protect the integrity of our organic food supply. They advocate for us, they inspect organic farms, and they share knowledge about growing organic food. This is an organization that anyone who eats should be supporting! 

On January 9th & 10th, NOFA-NY will be hosting their 44th Annual Winter Conference,  bringing together hundreds of farmers, food system professionals, educators, advocates, homesteaders, and gardeners who are passionate about advancing organic principles that create better food and farming systems. 

Friday, January 9th will be the kick off, with a series of in-depth intensives, followed by an opening reception catered by iEat Green, complete with live music, drinks, great company, and an awesome trade show!

The conference continues on Saturday, January 10, where there will be more than 30 educational workshops and events offered, along with the trade show. Breakfast and lunch are included! I hope to see you there!

To Register, click here: