SVHC Newsletter - December 2023
December 2023
“The mission of SVHC is to cultivate local solutions and collaborative actions that advance the health and well-being of the Cortland community.”
Shop Local and Support SVHC: Just Chill Custom Gifting Annual Christmas Basket Raffle
Just Chill Custom Gifting has chosen SVHC to be the recipient nonprofit of their Annual Christmas Basket Raffle!
How does it work? Purchase your $10 ticket(s) at the Just Chill Showroom between now and December 23rd for a chance to win a gift basket with nearly $1,000 worth of merchandise and gift cards. 100% of the proceeds will go to SVHC.
Just Chill Custom Gifting
Showroom & Tea Lounge
4 Main St. Cortland, NY
P: 607.423.2650
Info@justchillcustomgifting.com
Holiday Food Distributions
Seven Valleys Food Rescue, a program area of SVHC, has had a busy holiday season so far distributing food to local food pantries! Here are some highlights:
We Received 300 pre-packed bags of shelf-stable goods from Grand Union’s Best Wishes program.
Loaves & Fishes and Salvation Army are receiving regular deliveries of ½ gallon 1% milk to distribute through their food pantry and at mealtimes. Trinity Valley cheese curd coming soon.
FLX Farm Fresh donated carrots, potatoes, and squash to support Catholic Charities holiday food basket giveaway.
21 turkeys from Cobblestone Valley Farm and Daisy Hollow Farm were distributed through the McGraw Community Pantry Thanksgiving food basket giveaway.
VITA Volunteers Needed!
Calling all volunteers! The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program is looking for community-minded folks to assist us for the 2024 tax season. IRS Certification and software training will be provided. If you are interested in this opportunity to give back to your community in a meaningful way, please contact Raimona Rowe at raimona.rowe@gmail.com or call us at (607) 756-4198.
Did you know that SVHC supports Cortland's VITA program? Interested in learning more? Visit cortlandfreetaxes.org or contact us!
Maternal Health Program Updates
SVHC Doula Program Awarded 2023 Excellus BCBS Health Equity Innovation Award
SVHC has been recognized by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for its commitment to addressing health disparities and improving health equity and named a 2023 Health Equity Innovation Awards recipient. The awards program aims to provide financial support to community programs that address racial and ethnic health disparities across Excellus BCBS’s upstate New York service area. SVHC was awarded $15,000 in funding to support our Postpartum Doula program. This program will provide doula support to birthing individuals during the extremely vulnerable postpartum period. We are so grateful for the support of Excellus BCBS!
Maternal Health Provider Meet & Greet
SVHC hosted a maternal health provider meet and greet event at the Exchange in November! The event was a time for all of those involved in maternal health to put faces to names and share resources.
Have you checked out our Farmer Fridays Video Series? “Farmer Fridays” all started with a humble blog post back in 2018 as part of our Farmers Market Promotional Program USDA grant work. These posts were a way to help folks connect with local foods and to share with our community the roots of our agricultural history and growth.
The original Farmer Fridays highlighted over 19 local farms, farmers, and food producers, and to our surprise, trended so well, we even made the regional news through the hashtag #farmerfridays! Desiring to keep the interest going for our local food heritage and to increase knowledge and accessibility to nutritional foods, we decided to expand this project, turning static posts into the fun video series that is showcased below.
So, go and grab a cup of your favorite beverage, find a cozy spot, and come along with us as we explore all the good that the Cortland area has to offer!
Welcome new staff member, Hannah Gibbons-Arthur!
Hannah Gibbons-Arthur joins SVHC as a Project Assistant focusing on Food Rescue. Hannah has about 15 years of experience working for nonprofits, has worked on several small-scale farms around the world. She is very excited to be putting her passion for sustainable practices and accessible, healthy food for all to work with SVHC!
Coming Soon — Winter Challenge 2024!
Save the date for SVHC's 2024 Winter Challenge. The fun begins December 21st!
This year we have partnered with local businesses to provide prize incentives for participants. All you have to do is pick up a bingo board and complete the activities to be entered.
More information on how to participate will be arriving in your inboxes on December 20th. You won't want to miss this fun event, so be on the lookout!
Connect with Us
Our mission is to cultivate local solutions and collaborative actions that advance the health and well-being of the Cortland community.
Seven Valleys Health Coalition
10 Kennedy Parkway
Cortland, NY 13045
Phone: (607) 756-4198
Fax: (607) 344-0048
Support Our Work
Help us create a community in which all individuals are empowered to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Donate today!