This Monday our Village is blanketed in snow, and we’re looking at a classical White Christmas. But to borrow a saying associated with the USPS*: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stops Pathfinder Produce from the marketing of delicious, healthful fruits and veggies at great prices. We hope you’ll venture forth this Thursday afternoon to stock up for your holiday meals. (Please note that the market will be closed on Thursday, Dec. 26th so our staff may enjoy family time. We’ll be open again on Jan. 2, 2014).
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As our Facebook Fans may know, Pathfinder Produce is now involved in an online contest sponsored by MVP Health Care, one of about three dozen health initiatives that stand to win $2,500 and a special fund raiser opportunity with soccer star Abby Wambach, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the 2012 FIFA World Player of the Year. Just click on this link to vote once per day through late January: http://www.mvpprojectgo.com/detail.cfm?id=147. You can “get more bang for your buck” if you share the link with your email contacts and your social networking friends. Thank you, we appreciate your support!
For our newer friends who may not know the “back story” of our market, it’s a great example of local community organization and how a “CAN DO” attitude can make an impact. For some reason, the story of “The Little Engine that Could” comes to mind – I think it’s because of the underlying moral of “if you believe it can happen, it will happen” that is at the heart of the story.
A year ago, the Bassett Research Institute, Cooperstown, started its “5-2-1-0 Every Day!” Program to educate local families about better eating habits and to fight growing rates of childhood obesity. A pilot program specifically targeted Edmeston, the township where Pathfinder is located (Otsego County), and Delhi (Delaware County). In October, the 5-2-1-0 celebrated its first year anniversary.
The “5-2-1-0 Every Day!” concept summarizes positive behaviors that can help individuals lead healthier lifestyles, and is a sound approach to curtailing obesity for both kids and adults, which as a national issue has major productivity and economic implications. The 5-2-1-0 program represents these recommended daily allotments:
- 5 or more servings of fruits & vegetables
- 2 hours or less recreational screen time
- 1 hour or more of physical activity
- 0 sugary drinks, more low fat milk & water
Their thinking was: Pathfinder Village works with vendors to bring in food shipments each week to support our residents’ ongoing dietary needs. By adding a quantity of fresh produce items to the order, we can open a one-day-a-week “green grocer market” to benefit our local friends and neighbors. Edmeston, population 1,826 (2010 Federal census), has no grocery store, and the nearest full-service supermarket is over 20 miles away, a drive that can be difficult for seniors and during the winter months. By offering this service, we contribute back to our local community; provide vocational opportunities for people living with developmental disabilities; provide a way for our friends and neighbors to improve their eating habits; and introduce a new way for the public to visit Pathfinder on a regular basis that benefits our residents and total organization.
Thus far, this experiment in direct marketing has been popular, and the staff is able to bring produce to our market at below-retail pricing. The exciting thing about the Pathfinder Produce initiative is that it can be replicated in other rural regions where fresh produce availability is sporadic or limited.
Of course, it is a paradox of modern life that in rural America there is a fresh fruit and vegetable shortage; after all, the produce is grown in rural areas. Unfortunately, because of the corporate model of food production and distribution that has developed in the U.S., small towns are bypassed by major grocery chains, and smaller “Mom and Pop stores” are unable to meet the order minimums required by food distributors. Additionally, smaller stores would face huge losses in perishable products, which prevents them from featuring produce items for sale.
At a special meeting marking the 5-2-1-0’s anniversary, Dr. Stephen Cook of the University of Rochester Medical Center, a physician nationally known for his work on childhood obesity, said of our local efforts: “The health system alone can’t solve obesity, but the health system must be part of the equation…. Initiatives like 5-2-1-0 have got to be locally owned to be successful and sustained and that’s what you’re doing.”
In closing, everyone at Pathfinder Produce and Pathfinder Village thanks you for your support of our community health initiative, and we wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Lori
* Contrary to popular belief and according to Wikipedia, this is not the official motto of the United States Postal Service: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The USPS has no official motto.
However, these words were inscribed on a wall at the James Farley Post Office in New York City, placed there by Architect William Mitchell Kendall, of the renowned firm of McKim, Mead & White, who designed the building. It derives from a quote from Herodotus' Histories, referring to the courier service of the ancient Persian Empire (modern day Iran).
