To the editor:

Because of our farming community, the North Country is in a unique position to provide food for neighbors who are strapped for money during the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, we can support our neighbors who are local farmers, food processors, restaurant owners, caterers or merchants by buying our own food from them.

The Essex Farm Institute (a program of the Adirondack Council) has consolidated information with many options.

The Emergency Food Package program of AdkAction and the Hub on the Hill is a “three-fer”: food to people that need it, cash to the farmers that grow or produce it, and jobs for the people who cook, pack and deliver. With an initial grant from the Adirondack Foundation’s Special and Urgent Needs Fund, funds from other foundations and many individuals have made it possible to deliver 235 packages a week to people in Essex, Clinton, Hamilton and Franklin counties through July 16. Check out https://emergencyfoodpackages.funraise.org.

But our actions should not stop with donations to these efforts.

We can also help immeasurably by supporting local businesses and farmers with our own food purchasing dollars. Many of them are creatively adapting to the crisis, too, from simply donating food to those in need to offering direct delivery for those in isolation.

Many options are presented on the Adirondack Harvest special COVID-19 news page: https://adirondackharvest.com/special-covid-19-services.

You can use the “browse” search engine feature on the Adirondack Harvest site to find everything from restaurants that provide take-out and/or delivery to ways to access local farm products.

A local food system is a strong food system. Please help.

Katharine Preston

Essex