Author: Saratoga TODAY

SARATOGA SPRINGS —Around the country, food banks are seeing an unprecedented increase in the need for food while also experiencing a decline in donations. A new grant from Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) will help support the mission of Pitney Meadows Community Farm to supply fresh local food to the area food pantries.

The farm will use the grants funds to purchase seeds and plant starts and hire additional staff in order to increase the farm’s production. The project will allows the community farm to increase donations to local food pantries to at least 15,000 lbs.

“COVID-19 has hurt people in many ways, but the food supply chain has been hit especially hard,” said Pitney board member Kim London. “We greatly appreciate this grant that will allow us to continue supporting our community through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”

Eight North Country farm and food businesses were awarded a total of $100,000 in grant funding, mad possible by anonymous donors, for the effort that bolster food and farm security in the region. Pitney Meadows Community Farm is located at 223 West Ave in Saratoga Springs. They can be reached by phone at 518-290-0008 or email pitneymeadowscommunityfarm.org/contact.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — We are sad to announce that due to public health and safety concerns from the COVID pandemic, this year’s Showcase of Homes “live” tour event has unfortunately been cancelled. We will however be bringing you special alternative programming this fall in several forms (online, virtual, TV) to celebrate our builder’s homes and developments plus provide a way for you to contribute to our two important local charities which normally benefit from ticket sales. The Showcase Committee is working on the details, so please stay tuned for more information coming this August. 

We are thankful for all the generous support of this annual event over the years and look forward to presenting the 2021 Saratoga Showcase of Homes next year as we celebrate our twenty-fifth anniversary.

The Saratoga Showcase of Homes is the area’s premiere new home tour. This annual community tradition has contributed over $1.3 million dollars to our local charities. A total of $51,000 was donated last year to Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and Habitat for Humanity of Southern Saratoga, Warren & Washington Counties. For more information, please visit www.saratogashowcaseofhomes.com. Follow us on our blog and facebook for all the updates. 

BALLSTON SPA — The New York State Sheriffs’ Institute will begin its annual Honorary Membership drive in Saratoga County within the next ten days according to Sheriff Michael H. Zurlo. 

The New York State Sheriffs’ Institute was established in 1979. It is a not-for-profit corporation, tax exempt organization, and contributions to the Institute are tax deductible. 

While the Sheriff’s Office is a unit of county government, many of the concerns of Sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies are best addressed on a statewide level. The Sheriffs’ Institute provides centralized training programs and services for all Sheriffs’ Offices, where those programs and services would be unavailable or impractical on a single county basis. 

The flagship program of the Sheriffs’ Institute is the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp for economically challenged children. The Sheriffs’ Camp, in its 44th year of operation, is located on Keuka Lake and 840 children from across New York State attend each summer. The Sheriffs’ Institute pays the entire cost of the camp stay and transportation. Most children attending wouldn’t otherwise have an opportunity for vacation travel or a summer camp experience. 

The Sheriffs’ Camp program combines summer recreation with activities designed to teach an understanding of, and respect for, our laws and the men and women who enforce them. The strong camper to counselor ratio allows for individual attention with an emphasis on the development of self-esteem. 

In addition, the Sheriffs’ Institute operates a scholarship program that provides one scholarship to each of New York State’s Community College’s Criminal Justice Programs. This program is designed to help attract the best and the brightest to the criminal justice vocation. 

For more information about the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp and other Sheriffs’ Institute Programs, visit our website, www.sheriffsinstitute.org or simply Google “Sheriffs’ Institute kids” and it will be your first option.