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Author: Kacie Cotter-Harrigan

Giving Back: Small Things Make a Big Difference

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Education.

Being clean is a privilege some just can’t afford.

Since the pandemic, the importance of keeping germs at bay has become a priority for everyone, but some Saratoga children are going unwashed simply because basic hygiene products aren’t available for them to use at home. 

Even before the current crisis, Grace Firehock, now a senior at Saratoga Springs High School, saw there were students in need. In the Spring of 2019, she started Toga Toiletries to provide access to toiletries and personal hygiene products to students in need. 

“I just wanted all high schoolers to have basic toiletries and to have easy access to them,” she said. 

Grace and her parents purchased supplies to fill a closet in the school guidance office. Then, she began sending out requests for others to help.

Grace’s efforts have resulted in donations from Billington Family Dentistry, Hannaford Supermarkets, Byrne Orthodontics, Arbonne, and numerous local families. 

GROWING NEED
Now, Toga Toiletries are available to children throughout the Saratoga Springs City School District. Working with the Saratoga Food Pantry, Community Health Center, and SNACpack, they are also able to deliver toiletries to children.

The SNACpack Program (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance for Children) is seeing more children than ever in need of food and essential care items.

“Toga Toiletries is providing a wonderful, much-needed service for children and families! During this very difficult time where many families have lost income, toiletries have truly become a luxury that many cannot afford,” said SNACpack’s founder Karey Trimmings.

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FINDING TIME TO BE KIND
Grace Firehock finds time to package hygiene products for Toga Toiletries in between her already busy schedule, which also includes playing varsity tennis, Irish step and piano classes, skiing, and her other volunteer efforts. 

“Grace has always had a very philanthropic attitude.   She took an idea and found a way to bring it to life.  Her work has allowed families in the community to save money on expensive hygiene and toiletry products, which became especially helpful during the pandemic as some households struggle to pay bills due to lost employment,” said school counselor, Siobahn LaMar. 

“This endeavor hasn’t just benefited people in the community, it has also had a tremendous impact on Grace.  A bit quiet and shy by nature, this experience has pushed her out of her comfort zone needing to ask strangers for donations.  Her confidence has grown, along with her presentation skills.  Grace is a great role model to her peers and younger siblings, and we hope to see the community continue to benefit from her efforts after she graduates,” she continued. 

LASTING IMPACT
The benefits of helping others are especially poignant for Grace when she receives emails from recipients expressing their gratitude and accompanied by photos of the children she is helping. 

“It has an impact. It feels amazing to know I’ve helped people at this time,” said Grace.

Grace’s younger siblings have been helping package items and her sister, Caroline Firehock, a sophomore, will inherit Toga Toiletries when Grace graduates to ensure its continuation for years to come. 

Toga Toiletries is always in need of donations – shampoo is the most requested item, followed by deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and razors. They accept cash donations to buy specialty items including diapers and lotion. To make or receive a donation, and to find their Amazon wish list, go to www.facebook.com/togat0iletries or email togatoiletries@gmail.com.

Put Up Your Mitts

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Food.

Hello my Foodie Friends!

Many of us are spending more time in the kitchen practicing or creating our favorite recipes. There is a tool that is very essential in the kitchen especially when using the oven – the oven mitt and gloves. Baking activities can prove to be quite strenuous and you will often find that you need to engage in the use of baking mittens or gloves in order to make your favorite cake or your favorite pizza. There are a number of reasons why wearing such gloves is so essential.

The most important is to keep your hands protected from the heat of the oven.

The baking gloves are those that protect you from the heat of the oven. Unless you wear these gloves at the time of taking out and inserting baking trays, you are more than likely to scorch your hands, which can prove to be most unpleasant. Oven mitts and gloves give your hands the grip needed for holding baking trays and other pans that you are using to cook with. The baking gloves give you a firm grip which would not have been the case had you been holding the item with your bare hands. You need to be holding backing trays and various pans in a certain way so as to be able to get these in and out of the oven in a certain manner. Thus, if you keep these points in mind, you will understand the vitality of wearing oven gloves when engaging in activities of any sort for both the oven and the stove top. Keeping our hands safe while cooking is important; no one likes to get burned. 

In conducting a bit of research, we believe the history of the oven mitt may have begun like this:  “The oven mitt was invented in 1884 by a man named Francis Mitts. He owned a small bakery in Jersey City, where every day seamen and dockers would drop in to get their fill of Frank’s freshly made breads and coffee. Frank’s daughters were helping out in the kitchen and were working in direct contact with the ovens. In order to keep his young daughters’ hands from getting singed, he designed heavily insulated mittens, which evolved over time into what we know today as the oven mitts.”

Actually, mittens have been in use for over 1,000 years for a wide range of purposes – including those of protecting your hands from hot ovens. Today, however, technological advancement has allowed an incredible amount of heat resistance to be built into each mitt. We use oven mitts for many different occasions whether it be based around a special occasion, or when you are in the mood for cooking up something amazing like a birthday cake, or for a poolside BBQ, friends gathering or simply an evening with your family(my brothers and sisters and I used to use them for indoor baseball with a beach ball when it rained). For all of these moments, the oven mitt is there to help you get the job done taking care of the heat while you are busy preparing your incredible creation. The traditional oven mitt has outer layers that are typically made of cotton, while the inner layer is filled with an insulator-type material. However, over time it starts to fall apart, lose its shape, become singed and stained from all the wear. So why not get a brand new mitt or two to help your creative juices flow next time you are ready to cook up a storm? 

At Compliments to Chef, we offer a really cool cooking glove by Kitchen Grips Inc. This innovative line of kitchen gloves and hand safety products are made of a unique material called FLXaPrene™. This material is not only heat and stain-resistant but is also very flexible and comfortable to use. This patented product is available in different styles and colors not only for the home but also for commercial use. This is also the material used in scuba diving suits. Kitchen Grips® has created a safer oven mitt with increased insulation and grip that is comfortable on the hands and offers a cook more control with a non-slip grip and greater flexibility. The mitts feature a uniquely designed, raised nub pattern that adds insulation, protecting the hands from hot & cold temperatures (500 degrees F/260 degrees C to -134 degrees F/ -92 degrees C). The FLXaPrene material makes the mitt both water repellent and stain resistant so they will stay looking good and perform well for many years. The oven mitts are machine washable or can be washed with hot water and mild detergent and air-dried or can even be washed on the top shelf of the dishwasher. 

Sure, oven mitts can come in many fun and unique shapes. Long gone are the days when the top priority was matching the kitchen towels; the best mitts available today combine stay-cool comfort, fantastic dexterity, and a no-nonsense grip and made of the high-performance materials The most important thing when selecting the best oven mitt for you is to protect your hands from the heat when moving product from the oven to the table. Be sure to select the oven mitt that fits your hands and protects you.  Stop by Compliments to the Chef, your Neighborhood Kitchen and Cutlery store and put up your mitts and don’t get burned! Remember Foodie Friends; “Life Happens in the Kitchen.”

 Take Care,
John & PaulaREARDON Cranberry PotRoast

Sensible Snacking On-the-Go

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Food.

We know how busy life can get. Whether packing school lunches or struggling to find time to eat during the workday, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market makes it easy for you to eat healthy, locally produced food even when you’re in a rush. Here are some of our favorite snacks at the farmers’ market this month.

Fruit Smoothies & Sweet Greek Yogurts: Argyle Cheese Farmer has probiotic-packed smoothies and mini sweet Greek yogurts in flavors you will love. Smoothies include vanilla chai, mocha, ginger pear, and others. Mini sweet Greek yogurts include chocolate raspberry, maple, blueberry, and others. 

Apple Chips: Saratoga Apple has some of our favorite fall treats and we think their apple chips make a great healthy and mess-free snack option. 

Crackers with Toppings: Saratoga Cracker Co. has prepackaged crackers in flavors like garlic parmesan, everything, rosemary olive, and many more. Pair with some artisan cheese from Moxie Ridge, R&G Cheesemakers, Nettle Meadow, and Argyle Cheese Farmer.  Freddy’s Rockin Hummus makes a variety of dippable hummus with organic chickpeas. Saratoga Peanut Butter Co. has many flavors to spread on those crispy crackers.

Jerky & Snack Sticks: Muddy Trail Jerky Co. makes hand-crafted beef jerky and meaty snack sticks in 13 flavors like teriyaki beef, jalapeno lime beef, and more. Vital Eats offers their plant-based, probiotic, vegan Zen Jerky in hot ranch buffalo and BBQ.

Honey Sticks & Maple Sugar Candies: Ballston Lake Apiaries offers wildflower honey sticks that satisfy any sweet tooth. Slate Valley Farms has a variety of honey sticks in flavors like tangerine, wildflower, cinnamon, and raspberry. Slate Valley Farms also has maple candies that are a delicious melt-in-your-mouth treat.

Granola & Seed Squares: The Chocolate Spoon offers freshly baked and individually wrapped granola and cookies that make sweet grab-and-go treats. Moon Cycle Seed Company has seed squares that contain your daily dose of seed blends in a tasty on-the-go bar made with natural and organic ingredients. These bars are specifically prepared to help women rebalance their hormones. 

Fresh Fruit & Vegetables: This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of the fresh snackable fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market. Snap off a stalk of crisp celery or snack on sweet carrots. Cauliflower florets and cherry tomatoes also make healthy and satisfying snacks. Apples, pears, and plums are still in season and can be easily tossed into lunch boxes or briefcases.

Saratoga Farmers’ Market runs at Wilton Mall 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter www.saratogafarmersmarket.org/weekly-newsletter.

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Saratoga Wins the Book Lottery

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Education.

For six years, the Scholastic Book Club’s Patterson Partnership Grant has been awarding schools throughout the country with books that educate and inspire children. This year, five regional educators were winners.

It’s all a matter of luck. The Scholastic Book Club partners with mystery and young adult author James Patterson to award 5,000 prizes randomly each year from the more than 100,000 entries they receive annually. The grant awards $500 and 500 points to be used towards new materials from Scholastic to each winner. 

“I’m super excited and can’t wait to order. It’s like winning the lottery,” said Katie Fleming, 4th grade teacher at St. Mary’s School in Ballston Spa. 

She plans to order supplies that will help to supplement her classroom’s novel studies, that have great figurative language, and that coordinate with their social studies curriculum.

PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF
Because less than five percent of entries are chosen as winners, it pays to keep trying. 

That’s what Meredith Andrews, 4th grade teacher at Karigon Elementary School in Clifton Park discovered. She’s entered to win the grant before and has known colleagues who have won, but this time, luck was on her side. 

“Of course, I’m very excited. I plan to purchase things the whole grade level can use,” she said.

This includes multi-cultural books that feature characters of different races and abilities so that every child can see themselves reflected in what they read. Andrews also hopes to secure fiction and mystery sets for the classroom.

PROVIDES NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Engaging materials make learning fun and help to enrich transitions for teachers. Their enthusiasm is then shared with their students, so everyone feels like a winner. 

“I switched from teaching kindergarten to first grade this year and thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to build my classroom library. I was so surprised and excited to receive the notice in the mail that I had won! I plan to use the money to buy high-interest fiction and non-fiction texts to enrich the educational experience of my first-grade students. What a wonderful opportunity!” said Alison Leclerc, teacher at Skano Elementary School in Clifton Park. 

Studies have proven that the more contact children have with books, the better readers they become. The most successful classroom libraries offer students immediate and frequent access to a variety of different books while also providing a venue where teachers and students can easily recommend books to each other.

According to the American Library Association, classroom libraries should contain between 300-600 titles, depending on grade level, be supplemented from a well-stocked school library and from other sources. Additional new books should be added each year. Materials should span a range of difficulties, languages, topics, genres, and perspectives to best tell the story of our diverse world. 

Additional local winners of the Scholastic prize also include David Bassani from Schuylerville Central School and Darci Carril for the Saratoga Springs YMCA.

Chamber Launches Save Our Locals Campaign

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Business.

I

’m sure those reading the headline and looking at the byline will assume that when the Chamber refers to saving LOCALS that we’re talking about local businesses.

And while that’s true, there is a bigger mission at hand. Because it also involves mobilizing our community to save our local nonprofit organizations. It means saving local neighbors who may be unemployed or in need. 

This intent was never clearer to me as we developed our SAVE OUR LOCALS campaign than a week ago when I attended an event for CAPTAIN Community Human Services. The event was to thank and honor Sue Catroppa, CAPTAIN’s current executive director, as she heads towards retirement at the end of 2020. The event was to recognize and thank Andy Gilpin, who has worked side-by-side with Sue for more than a decade at CAPTAIN and who will become the organization’s next executive director.

In advance of this event, I was honored to be asked to speak and to say a few words about Sue – – and Andy as it turned out. So as I thought about what I might say, I was reminded of something that Sue has said to me over and over again. Sue loves the work we do at the Saratoga County Chamber because we value, respect and promote the amazing work that all of our local nonprofits do to make our community a great place to live, work and play.

Take our SCORE program for instance. In 2018 and 2019, our local SCORE Chapter was one of the top five in the nation in terms of small business startups and jobs created with their help. Now with our SAVE OUR LOCALS effort, SCORE is adapting to provide totally free and completely confidential services to businesses AND nonprofits who need to adapt their business plan or model because of COVID 19. Both local businesses and local nonprofits are eligible to meet one-on-one virtually or in-person with one of our exceptional SCORE volunteers. All they have to do is call the Chamber to start the process.

To help businesses, our SAVE OUR LOCALS campaign will involve the Chamber and our partners promoting EVERY business ­­— whether you are a member or not — who offers gift cards for sale online. In the spring, we set up a similar promotion and had links to local retail stores, spas and beauty salons, restaurants, florists, fitness facilities, and more. 

Simultaneously, we will create a page on www.saratoga.org that promotes what our local nonprofits need. If our community responds and donates what local nonprofits need, this will indirectly mean that we’re helping everyone. 

Local businesses can learn a lot from the way our nonprofits are run and have been led during the pandemic. In my remarks at the CAPTAIN event, I shared a story from early April when our local economy was shut down, and I called Sue to learn more about COVID 19’s impact on our community and to see how the Chamber might help. 

Sue told me that demand for CAPTAIN’s food pantry and personal care items was up 50%. That day we spoke, she was trying to figure out how to help a young woman who was the victim of sex trafficking to find a place to stay with all of the stay-at-home restrictions in place. She said CAPTAIN also needed PPE for their employees to keep them safe.

Now CAPTAIN, like many nonprofits who work with vulnerable populations, was considered essential. So Sue also shared with me how they had established three separate teams of employees who were working shifts scheduled so they never crossed paths. She and her team had pivoted to this model to ensure their services could be sustained and people in need would always have access to what they needed. By doing this, the idea was that if one person contracted the virus that just one team would have to quarantine. That would leave the other two available to keep CAPTAIN open.

As businesses started to reopen, I shared what Sue did at CAPTAIN with many of the business owners who were asking me how to ensure they could stay open. The reality — as we’ve seen over and over again — is that it’s hard to eliminate the spread of COVID. The best we can do is minimize its spread. Sue had a model for operating a nonprofit and any business with this reality in mind.

So how can our community SAVE OUR LOCALS? Shop local. Dine out or take out local. Buy your supplies for your home or business at local stores. Hire local contractors and professional services. Think of making every purchase locally. If you must shop online, do so locally too. AND, donate your time, treasure and talent to local nonprofits. We’re all in this together. We will be Stronger Together. 

Wards Aren’t Neighborhoods

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Letters to the Editor.

Folks, we have a challenge on our hands in Saratoga Springs with an arrogant group working to change our form of government and divide our city into six political wards which will severely alter the way you are governed and allowed to vote.

Wards would divide our city arbitrarily based only on geography. Most wards would include both densely populated areas and homes many miles away on large lawns. Our wards would not be neighborhoods. 

As former Saratogian editor Barbara Lombardo wrote in her recent blog: “The claim that residents would gain better representation with wards is false and grossly misleading.”

You will only be allowed to vote for your ward politician and a mayoral candidate, leaving 5 of the 7 City Council members which you can neither vote for (or against) or even influence. You will be effectively disenfranchised in this proposed undemocratic ward system.

You have a much stronger voice with our current Commission government. 

Communicating directly with Commissioners who can solve my problem is much more effective than talking with a ward politician who the charter says could not work with any city employee other than the City Manager…a guaranteed bottleneck.

Wards were snuck into the 2020 proposal without any public input by an unknown group of people who felt that they were so important that they could ignore the 2017 Charter Committee decision after a public discussion not to include wards.

Divisive wards, disenfranchised voters, and secret decisions are just 3 reasons to vote no and stop this bad City Manager-Ward System.

– Bonnie Sellers, Member of the SUCCESS Board, a Saratoga Springs citizen’s organization of residents from all political parties which was formed to protect the Commission Form of Government.

Substance Use Rising During Pandemic

Written by Kacie Cotter-Harrigan on . Posted in Families Today.

We are several months into the pandemic, and there is no end in sight—yet. Substance-related overdoses and alcohol intoxication incidents have been on the rise, nationally and locally, throughout 2020.  

A recent RAND Corporation survey highlighted a dramatic increase in alcohol consumption since the start of the COVID-19 shutdown. There were 30 overdose incidents on a single day, May 21, in the Capital Region, and Saratoga Hospital’s Emergency Department has seen an unusually high number of opiate-related cases this year. 

In such an environment, there may be someone you know who is struggling to get through the day. If you are concerned about someone who may be abusing drugs or alcohol: 

• Take time to educate yourself about addiction. 
• Don’t judge or lecture. Listen, encourage them to seek help, but know they must make the call.
• Be realistic in your expectations. This is a lifelong disease.
• Seek support. It may be helpful to get counseling for yourself. 
• Learn CPR and, when possible, get NARCAN training. 

Being prepared is the best thing you can do to protect your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. NARCAN® Nasal Spray is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency with signs of breathing problems and severe sleepiness or not being able to respond. If you are interested in attending a future NARCAN® training, please email Saratoga Hospital Community Wellness Programs at communityed@saratogahospital.org.

I want to acknowledge the courage and resolve of everyone in recovery from alcohol and substance abuse. These are people who have already overcome much adversity, and many are facing the current pandemic challenges from a place of strength. 

But it’s the isolation that has taken a toll. Recovery is not something to take on alone, which is why we emphasize virtual support groups and mentoring. Our Addiction Medicine program has had a tremendously positive response from patients using its telehealth services, and the good news is that MANY OF OUR current Addiction Medicine patients are doing well, showing great resiliency in the face of the pandemic.

With our COVID-19 protocols that keep patients safe, we continue to deliver the high-quality treatment and support that builds that needed sense of connection, including stress-relieving alternatives to substance use that work specifically for you. We also offer several non-controlled anxiety medications as well.

If you are struggling with addiction and would like to get help, please call the Addiction Medicine team at 518-886-5600. Our program provides high-quality care without judgement, in an environment where you can receive comprehensive, personalized, and respectful treatment, including medication management and counseling. 

We all know these are difficult times, and we don’t know when it will end. The cumulative stress of it all is more than we have ever experienced. But you are not alone. There is a great deal of strength and comfort to be had from the bonding and sharing experience of group support. 

To learn more about our programs, please visit SaratogaCommunityHealthCenter.org. For additional resources, please visit SaratogaHospital.org. As always, in case of emergency, call 9-1-1.
Addiction Medicine Program at Saratoga Community Health Center: 518-886-5600