On Tuesday August 2nd, 80 AdkAction members, volunteers, and partners came together for our Annual Meeting, which took place at Ausable Brewing Company in Keeseville.
At this year’s gathering, we maximized the opportunity for interaction between participants and our projects through eight science-fair-style Project Discovery Tables. At each table attendees could talk with the project lead or team member, share their thoughts and ideas for the future of the project, get involved as a volunteer, and meet others interested in the project.
During the official business of the annual meeting, AdkAction membership confirmed new Board Members of the past twelve months: Diana Zais, Daniel Kiefer-Bach, and Cindy Szeflinski. Steve Maikowski was approved by the membership to extend his tenure as Chair of the Board into 2023.
As Keeseville is a focus of our community revitalization work, attendees were encouraged to visit some of the sites around town to get a firsthand look at our work:
The Keeseville Community Garden is a project created by AdkAction’s first Tom Boothe Adirondack Intern, Kim Gonzales, who sourced all of the initial materials, land, and interest. Now managed by the current food security team at AdkAction, the Keeseville Community Garden is a community-cultivated space with monthly workshops for kids, as well as free produce for the community and local food banks.
The ‘What Brings Us Together’ Mural was painted by artists and over 60 community volunteers organized by AdkAction for our 2021 Keeseville Community Arts Festival. The 90-foot long depiction of the places and themes that bring the community together is painted on the side of Adirondack Hardware.
Annual Meeting attendees could also visit a vendor in our Fair Food Card program, North Country Creamery, just up the road from the event. Directly funded Fair Food Cards work like debit cards at participating local food vendors like North Country Creamery’s farm store, and can be used to purchase fresh food.
The Farmacy, a partnership between AdkAction and Keeseville Pharmacy, was highlighted at the event, with a talk given by pharmacist Dan Bosley about the impact that project has had on Keeseville. This project, started in 2017, serves as a model for bringing healthy local food to rural communities. The existing storefront at the “Farmacy” has been modified to bring groceries to the community, including fresh and locally-produced products.
Attendees at this year’s gathering were able to toast another year of progress with locally-made brews from Ausable Brewing Company, and were treated to an array of Jamaican and American foods catered by Island Vybz restaurant – a perfect combination of culture in the North Country!
