AdkAction has been awarded a grant from Adirondack Foundation’s Generous Acts Program to remove barriers that prevent low-income residents from eating healthy, local food.  

Funding will be used for a series of cooking classes to follow up on the successful cooking class series offered in 2018, with a focus on a need that has been identified for healthy cooking in kitchens with limited resources, such as transitional housing and college dorms. Registration is free and SNAP eligible residents are given preferential enrolment. In addition, a cookbook that focuses on using local, seasonal ingredients will be produced and distributed. Since Keeseville Pharmacy already delivers prescriptions, a pilot program will also be launched to assess the feasibility of adding grocery delivery for people with limited access to transportation.  

“Adirondack Foundation’s Generous Acts Program is giving us a great opportunity to continue to make local food easier to find, buy and eat.” – Kiana French, AdkAction’s Farmacy Project Coordinator.

The Farmacy Project was launched in 2017 as a way to bridge the gap between the local farms and the downtown of Keeseville, which lost its grocery store in 2013. The closure of this store left residents with the choice to drive to Peru or Plattsburgh for groceries or buy prepared and nonperishable foods from convenience or dollar stores that do not typically carry fresh produce. AdkAction responded to this need for healthy food by partnering with the Keeseville Pharmacy to bring the bounty downtown.

The Farmacy accepts SNAP benefits and is working towards accepting WIC.