CHENANGO COUNTY – After two years, The Chenango Bounty program is trying to expand its offerings and allow a wider range of county residents to enjoy great, local food delivered to their door.

The Chenango Bounty began in November of 2007 as a project of the Chenango Ag Development Council, and while the program has been operating for two years, many people still don’t know that the Bounty program provides free delivery of local produce.

“We have a core group of people who are interested in local foods,” said RC&D Coordinator Phil Metzger, “but we need to go beyond that.”

The purpose of the Bounty program is to try to increase the amount of local food that is consumed within the county. Metzger explained that “local” foods are any items that are grown or produced locally. Recently, Metzger explained the Bounty program has expanded into Madison County, and future expansion into Broome and Otsego Counties is possible.

The program aims to get products to consumers from the closest local source. Metzger explained that for the Chenango Bounty program, local foods would first come from within Chenango County. If that wasn’t possible, then products in surrounding counties would be examined, and if a product still could not be found, the search would go state wide. “All of our products come from within New York State. They’re grown or processed here,” Metzger said.