OSWEGO COUNTY – Aiming to connect, share resources and put their heads together for the benefit of families all over the county, the Oswego County Student Food Insecurity Task Force worked together as a group last week in-person.
The meeting, held Jan. 22 at the Center for Instruction, Technology and Innovation (CiTi), brought together experts and key stakeholders in the areas of food insecurity to share the latest data, news and highlight programs which could be employed or further used.
Brian Heffron, Administrator of Workforce Development and Community Relations at CiTi, welcomed the group and helped facilitate the sessions alongside CiTi’s Director of Assessment, Professional Growth and Community Services Initiatives Dr. Julie Landy.
“Our task force meeting wasn’t just about fixing hunger; it was like a brainstorm session where we came up with new ideas together,” Heffron said. “We’re gearing up to change how we tackle food insecurity for students in the county, making it more inclusive and better for everyone.”
In addition to Heffron and Landy, also critical to the planning and facilitation of the group were Patrick Dewine, director of Oswego County United Way; Sheila Dion, founder and director of Erin’s Angels; and Chena Tucker, director of the Shineman Foundation.
Mike Watrous and Patti Waldner from Food Bank of Central New York were both on hand to provide updates and give the task force a clear look at Oswego County’s needs.
The state Department of Health found in a January 2024 report that 26.2% of adults in Oswego County are food insecure, ranking fifth-most out of all counties statewide. According to Stacker, Oswego County ranked as the seventh-highest New York county for food insecurity in 2022.
During the session, members of the task force also split into groups to work on strategies to address these challenges and collaborate further countywide.
The Oswego County Student Food Insecurity Task Force hopes to meet quarterly and those interested in contributing can find more information by following the group on Facebook under the same name.
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