Season’s greetings, Extension family! If you weren’t able to join us for our 106th Annual Meeting, please take an hour and check it out at http://sullivancce. org/about-us/board-governance. Despite the challenges we have faced together this past year, CCE staff, volunteers, 4-H’ers, and community members came together to ensure full bellies and physically distanced social and educational opportunities. Together, we have tapped into our Resilience systems, and will continue to do so as we move into 2021. I want to take a moment to thank our friends in Sullivan County Government. From the Legislature, County Manager’s office, Division of Planning, Community Development, & Real Property, Department of Public Health Services, Office for the Aging, Youth Bureau, and all our fellow public servants in county government. We are so proud to have spent this past year in the trenches with you. On behalf of myself, our Board of Directors, and the CCE staff team, we see you, and we thank you for putting yourselves out there every day for the benefit of our Sullivan County constituency. Further, the support we have received from Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, Senator Jen Metzger, and Congressman Antonio Delgado in ensuring access to capital improvement funds to expand our ability to address food systems and food security issues with our most vulnerable friends and neighbors, has been invaluable. The pandemic shined a light on invisible populations from all walks of life, who are now engaged in neighborhood based community development and outreach. This multiplies, exponentially, the foundation of our community, and helps us to cultivate a protective environment that makes raising a family in Sullivan County safer and healthier over time. And finally, to our donors, a huge applause!! Much of the transition the CCE staff team made was un-funded by our current grants and contracts. There is just no way we would have been able to pivot the majority of our team if the Sullivan County community hadn’t stepped up with more than $150,000 in product and cash donations. It made the difference between layoffs and being able to adjust our program focus. Donations ranged from $5 to $5,000! The work is not finished, and we aren’t able to sustain these food systems efforts indefinitely, but each and every one of you should feel proud that you helped serve more than 125,000 meals, and facilitated more than $100,000 in sales for local and regional farm and food producers over the last nine months. Every year I am truly amazed at the good will in Sullivan County, and how fast and strong this community comes together. This year is no different. Please, stay vigilant in your commitment to staying healthy through the winter, so that when spring and summer roll around again, you are all here to celebrate getting through this past year together.
My very best,
Colleen Monaghan Executive Director, cm638@cornell.edu
Extension Connection
December 2020
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