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.
Eating local foods have many benefits for the local economy, the environment and a person’s health. Americorps Volunteer Margaret Wedge, who recently joined the Bounty program, explained that since Bounty first began, $93,000 in Chenango County Products have been delivered to local residents. Of those funds, more than $71,000 has gone back to the local producers and farmers bounty works with. “When you shop at a chain store, about 14 percent of every dollar goes back to your local economy. Nationally, with programs like this, about 45 percent goes back. With Bounty it’s 77 percent,” Wedge said.
Buying local products also helps the environment by reducing carbon emissions that are formed when food is trucked hundreds or thousands of miles to be sold at chain stores. In addition, consuming local products is just better for your health. “The fresher food is, the healthier it is,” Wedge said.
Currently, Metzger explained, the Bounty program is supported by two funding sources that help keep overhead costs low. Grants from the Chenango County Economic Development Committee and the New York Farm Viability Institute have helped keep costs down, however both of those grants will end in 2009. “The challenge is how to operate independently without that grant support. Our goal is to get to 75 orders per week by the end of the year,” Metzger said.
Currently, Chenango Bounty has about 300 customers, but not all of them order every week. “The important thing for us is to provide sustainability and become a regenerative program. We’re working to expand the work already being done,” Wedge said. Currently the program receives about 45 orders a week. Securing the next 30, Metzger said, will be the difficult part.
Bounty provides a selection of over 600 products, with more fresh produce available in the summer and fall months. “Our items are very competitive compared to the same items in a grocery or specialty store,” Metzger said. “Plus they are delivered.” Delivery of items is free with a purchase of $35 or more.
In order to reach a wider customer base, the Bounty program has added more non-organic products, which are generally less expensive than their organic counterparts. They have also created a brochure with several products listed for those without Internet access, and in the coming months, the program will begin accepting EBT cards for food stamp payments.
For more information on the Chenango Bounty Program, visit the web site at www. chenangobounty.com or www. madisonbounty.com or call 334-3231 ext. 4 for more information.