Regional Farm to School Coordinator Program
Becky O'Connor, Farm to School Coordinator, WNY & Finger Lakes
Harvest New York
The Harvest NY Regional Farm to School Coordinator Program provides comprehensive support to Farm to School stakeholders, including School Food Authorities, farmers, distributors, manufacturers, processors, and food hubs. The primary goal of the program is to increase the volume and variety of local farm products purchased by SFAs for use in child nutrition programs.
To achieve this goal, Harvest NY developed a plan of work centered on the following three objectives:
- Provide direct support to supply chain partners.
- Provide statewide support via resource development, training, and technical assistance to supply chain partners.
- Strengthen campus-to-community connections by identifying and developing opportunities for applied Farm to School research.
What we do:
- Find local food and farm partners
- Work with supply chain partners on logistics, including delivery
- Develop local food procurement plans
- Assist with bid development that favors local foods
- Establish Farm to School promotional campaigns, like NY Thursdays and Harvest NY
- Assist with securing grants to expand Farm to School programming
- Support 30% NY Initiative tracking and documentation requirements
Statewide Program Lead | Cheryl Bilinski: cbt32@cornell.edu | (607) 592-9507
The counties listed under each Regional Coordinator are loose boundaries. If you'd like assistance and fall outside the stated counties, please reach out to Cheryl for assistance.
Lower Hudson Valley | Putnam, Rockland, Orange, and Westchester Counties
Kristy Apostolides: kda4@cornell.edu | (845) 429-7085, ext. 106
Upper Hudson Valley | Sullivan, Ulster, Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, and Delaware Counties
Katie Sheehan-Lopez: kms369@cornell.edu | (845) 340-3990, ext. 334
Western NY | Erie, Chautauqua, Allegany, Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, and Yates Counties
Becky O'Connor: rao84@cornell.edu | (845) 706-0293
Long Island | Suffolk and Nassau Counties
Amy Bly and Sandy Menasha: ab2353@cornell.edu | (631) 827-1015 (Amy), srm45@cornell.edu (Sandy)
Central NY | Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga, Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Cortland, Tompkins, Lewis, and Jefferson Counties
Lizzy Cooper: ec795@cornell.edu | (315) 630-0405
North Eastern, NY | Franklin, Clinton, and Essex Counties
Meghan Dohman: meb377@cornell.edu | (518) 962-4810 x405
New York City | SJ Whelan: sw954@cornell.edu | (929) 895-2257
F2S Coordinator Map (jpg; 2569KB)
Upcoming Events
Log Inoculation Party
April 28, 2024
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
New York, NY
Join us for a log inoculation party and Community Mushroom Educator (CME) reunion at the Randall's Island Urban Farm with past and prospective CMEs. We will be inoculating local tree species with shiitake and oyster spawn as part of a larger research project with the Randall's Island Park Alliance Urban Farm and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Announcements
Field Guide: Arthropod Pests of NYC Vegetables
Arthropod Pests of NYC Vegetables aims to help urban farmers and gardeners find, identify, and understand the most common and important insects and other arthropod pests found in New York City farms and gardens. Some of these pests are rarely mentioned in other guides but are common in NYC. The guide emphasizes scouting tips, including how to identify pests by the damage they leave behind, even when you can't find the insect itself.This guide was created as a collaboration between Cornell Cooperative Extension's Harvest New York team and the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.