LaBella in the Community (LINC) – Summer 2024 Roundup

Crandall Park Invasive Species Removal

Organization: Crandall Park Beautification Committee and Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District
Event Date: June 6, 2024
Event Location: Glens Falls, NY

Event Description: Crandall Park in Glen Falls, NY, is facing a serious threat from invasive species such as bittersweet, burning bush, garlic mustard, and honeysuckle, which are disrupting the park’s natural ecology. Burning bush, which lacks natural predators, blocks sunlight from reaching native saplings, while bittersweet climbs established, mature trees, cutting off their nutrient supply and making them more susceptible to wind damage. If left unchecked, these invasive plants could dominate the park in the future, leaving only a few mature trees.

To address this, the Crandall Park Beautification Committee and the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District (WCSWC) organized a weeklong community event during New York Invasive Species Awareness Week, June 3rd to June 9th. Volunteers, including a group from LaBella (Norabelle Greenberger, Chris Round, Angelique Smith, Devin Bulger, Mirren Galway, Vinkel Rasmussen, and Brooke Macica), worked to remove invasive species under the guidance of a WCSWC representative. Despite challenging conditions, the team successfully cleared areas of burning bush, bittersweet, and honeysuckle, helping to restore the park’s natural ecosystem. While there is still work to be done, these efforts mark a significant step toward preserving Crandall Park’s ecological health and beauty for future generations.

GLOW OUT! Pride Parade and Festival

Organization: GLOW OUT!
Event Date: June 8, 2024
Event Location: Batavia, NY

Event Description: GLOW OUT! is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2019 to promote education, awareness, and support for the LGBTQ+ community in the GLOW region of New York (Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, and Wyoming Counties). Initially formed to organize the region’s first Pride Festival, the overwhelming community support for the event inspired GLOW OUT! to continue its mission of creating a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ individuals. Through ongoing education and advocacy efforts, the organization uplifts and celebrates the lives of LGBTQ+ residents in the area.

On Saturday, June 8th, Batavia’s annual Pride Parade celebrated LGBTQ+ identity and acceptance with a parade starting from the Batavia First Presbyterian Church and winding through Downtown Batavia. The event was part of a larger Pride Month celebration organized by GLOW OUT!, featuring a festival in Jackson Square and on Center Street. Highlights included food trucks, a vendor fair showcasing eclectic artisans and LGBTQ+ affirming non-profit organizations, performances, and a Drag Queen Story Hour. The event was attended by Laura Corbett.

United Way Day of Action

Organizations: United Way of Dutchess-Orange Region and Poughkeepsie Farm Project
Event Date: June 20, 2024
Event Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Event Description: The United Way’s Day of Action, a global volunteering event held annually around June 21, offers individuals an opportunity to come together and make a positive impact in their communities through volunteerism.

To mark this year’s United Way Day of Action, several LaBellans (Alyssa Burnell, Caren LoBrutto, Chanelle Carver, and Joe Rodriguez) volunteered their time to assist with weeding and land preparation for planting season at the Poughkeepsie Farm Project. Under sunny skies with temperatures nearing 90 degrees, our team cleared 5.5 sections of fence in just a few hours. Their efforts provided crucial support to the organization’s small staff, helping maintain the land and the crops that feed the local community.

The Poughkeepsie Farm Project, founded in 1999 as a small community farm focused on education and food justice, has grown from 3 acres and 15 CSA shareholders to 12 acres and more than 500 participating households. The farm harvests over 180,000 pounds of produce annually, donating more than 30,000 pounds to those in need. In addition to cultivating food, the farm provides year-round training and education on sustainable agriculture and healthy eating practices.

United Way Day of Action

Organizations: United Way of Dutchess-Orange Region and Dutchess Outreach
Event Date: June 25, 2024
Event Location: Poughkeepsie, NY

Event Description: The United Way’s Day of Action, a global volunteering event held annually around June 21, offers individuals an opportunity to come together and make a positive impact in their communities through volunteerism.

This year, LaBella volunteers (Kyra True and Susan Dobler) participated at The Lunch Box in Poughkeepsie, NY, a community meal program run by Dutchess Outreach, a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring everyone has access to nutritious food while advocating for food security and social equity across the community. The Lunch Box provides chef-prepared hot lunches and dinners to anyone in need within Dutchess County, sourcing many ingredients from local Hudson Valley farms.

During the event, volunteers assisted with kitchen prep and served over 300 meals to community members. The experience was both fulfilling and rewarding, with many recipients expressing gratitude for the meals—which, for some, may have been their only one that day.

Flower City Pickers

Organization: Flower City Pickers
Event Date: August 17, 2024
Event Location: Rochester, NY

Event Description: Flower City Pickers is dedicated to supporting the local community by recovering and redistributing safe food that would otherwise end up in landfills. Their mission promotes waste prevention and civic engagement through partnerships with hunger relief agencies and local farms. Since their inception, they have recovered and redistributed one million pounds of food.

Recently, LaBella volunteers helped collect surplus produce from vendors at the City of Rochester Public Market that would have otherwise been discarded. On this occasion, 1,023 pounds of food were saved from the landfill, including 573 pounds of edible food redistributed to local food shelves, soup kitchens, and other organizations supporting local communities in need. The remaining 450 pounds, deemed unsuitable for consumption, were composted.