Community Action Planning Council
of Jefferson County, Inc.

518 Davidson Street, Watertown, NY 13601 
Phone: 315-782-4900 Fax: 315-788-8251
www.capcjc.org

Jefferson County has been chosen to receive $52,160 through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and $74,365 in supplemental funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.

The selection was made by a National Board that is chaired by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and consists of representatives from American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, The Jewish Federations of North America, The Salvation Army, and United Way Worldwide.  The Local Board was charged to distribute funds appropriated by Congress to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas around the country.

A Local Board made up of representatives from Jefferson County Government, American Red Cross, Council of Churches, United Way of Northern New York, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Inc., Jefferson County Department of Social Services, and Watertown Urban Mission will determine how the funds awarded to Jefferson County are to be distributed among the emergency food and shelter programs run by local service agencies in the area.  The Local Board is responsible for recommending agencies to receive these funds and any additional funds made available under this phase of the program.

Under the terms of the grant from the National Board, local agencies chosen to receive funds must: 1) be private voluntary non-profits or units of government, 2) be eligible to receive Federal funds, 3) have an accounting system, 4) practice non-discrimination, 5) have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs, and 6) if they are a private voluntary organization, have a voluntary board.  Qualifying agencies are urged to apply.

Jefferson County has distributed Emergency Food and Shelter funds previously with Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Inc., The Salvation Army, and Watertown Urban Mission participating. 

Public or private voluntary agencies interested in applying for Emergency Food and Shelter Program funds must contact Tammy Kitto at Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Inc., 518 Davidson Street, Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 782-4900 for an application.  The deadline for applications to be received is May 19, 2020 by 4:00 P.M.                                                         

-End-

As a result of the continued fight against the COVID-19, so much as changed. Yet some things remain the same. We still live in a resilient community. We help each other. We care about each other.

The month of April proved to be a busy month for Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Inc. Through our COVID-19 children’s breakfast and lunch programs we were able to serve 7,796 breakfast(s) and 7,796 lunch(s) for a total of 15,592 meals at 12 sites in 21 days during April.  Our food pantry served 2,041 households, including 3,822 individuals. Our food packages totaled 34,398 meals. To put this into prospective, April 2019, the food packages totaled 12,330! We were able to serve 358 new customers during April through our food pantry.

On April 21^st we hosted a milk and dairy distribution thanks to a generous contribution from the Dairy Farmers of America and Cabot. 781 families received wholesome and nutritious milk, cottage cheese and sour cream during this event!

The staff in the Family Center and Kitchen have been super stars during our adjustment in operations. They have a commitment to serving others with a smile on their face and compassion in their hearts.

The Head Start and Pre-K programs may not have been offered in the traditional classroom setting; but learning was still accomplished. Head Start and Pre K teachers called families regularly to check in on them, they conducted Facetime and Zoom sessions, organized car parades, posted book readings on Facebook, dropped off care packages filled with learning activities and supplies (and sometimes food packages if families were in need). The staff miss the in-person interaction with the children and families but take joy when they are able to interact on line.

The Jefferson-Lewis Child Care Project continues to provide support to child care programs that remain open and serve parents who are considered essential workforce. JLCP staff traveled Jefferson and Lewis Counties delivering care packages that included books, cleaning supplies, gloves and hand sanitizer on the door steps hardworking childcare providers. Child care programs still participated in training opportunities offered on line. JLCP staff are available for parents who may have questions regarding child care and make referrals for parents looking for care. JLCP is awarding child care scholarships to essential workers who utilize NYS Registered or Licensed child care programs 

Even though there has been a pause in Weatherization and Empower activities in our Housing and Energy Services Department; staff have been busy catching up on training, cleaning/disinfecting our warehouse and supporting other programs at Community Action. They have been assisting with food pantry operations. They shuttle food from the warehouse to the main building, where distribution takes place daily. They assist with filling food bags for 249 senior citizens who live in Watertown Housing Authority and Neighbors of Watertown housing area. This team was instrumental in ensuring the Milk and Dairy distribution ran smoothly on April 21^st.

Our maintenance department has been instrumental in supporting all of our programs. They conduct deep cleaning daily, unload trucks that carry our food, maintain the building and grounds and generally ensure we are safe and secure.

What has not surprised us, but truly blessed us has been the overwhelming support that we have received from the community.

Watertown School District has made delivery of meals to children in the district seamless. They dutifully show up every day with two school buses and a host of school volunteers to pick up breakfast and lunch prepared by our kitchen staff (and other Community Action staff) and then they deliver to seven sites throughout the city of Watertown.

Breakfast and lunch is delivered to four sites in the General Brown School district daily by our Community Action staff. 

Community Action partnered Watertown Housing Authority and Neighbors of Watertown to ensure senior citizens who live in their housing areas would receive food packages from our food pantry weekly. The goal was to limit the need for this population leave their apartments to go food shopping. We prepare 249 bags weekly that includes items such as peanut butter, tuna fish, beans, tomato sauce, soup, pasta, meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. We have also included face masks and hand sanitizer. Staff from Watertown Housing Authority and Neighbors of Watertown pick up the food bags and deliver throughout their respective housing areas.

Dollar General has supplied countless totes for food pantry packages. Additionally, they provided sturdy containers for transporting children meals throughout Watertown and General Brown School Districts. Dollar General Staff braved the freezing rain on our parking lot during the milk and dairy distribution on April 21^st while cheerfully providing these products to families as they drove by.

 Renzi Food Service has always been a valued partner, but they have been an invaluable resource during our COVID-19 operations. They provided a refrigerated truck to park in our parking lot to store the additional food needed to maintain the children’s feeding programs. Additionally, they have allowed us to store large quantity donations of dairy items from Cabot and the Dairy Farmers of America at their facility.

United Way of Northern New York has provided on a continuous basis much needed and hard to find supplies, such as cleaning supplies, toilet paper, baby formula and baby food.

We have received numerous monetary contributions from community organizations and individuals. Thanks to these contributions the Food Pantry shelves remain stocked with fresh produce and assorted food items.

We are especially appreciative of our sister food pantries throughout Jefferson County. This includes Watertown Urban Mission, Watertown Salvation Army and 15 other food pantries spread across Jefferson County. Together, we are collectively ensuring that residents of the North Country do not have to worry about having food for their families.   

Acting out of compassion and generosity, our partners help Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County serve the community daily! We appreciate all of you.

Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County (Watertown, NY) to Distribute Free Milk & Dairy Foods on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 from 10 am – 2 pm

Rising unemployment and school closures are putting added stress on America’s food pantries. As a result, food Banks across the nation are being hit hard by complications of the coronavirus.

Two dairy farmer organizations have joined forces to get truckloads of milk to those in need. American Dairy Association North East, representing over 10,000 dairy farmers, and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national cooperative owned by dairy farm families across the U.S., has teamed up with Dean Foods processing plants across the Northeast to help deliver much needed milk and dairy foods to Watertown, NY families.

Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, 518 Davidson St., Watertown, NY, will distribute free milk, sour cream and cottage cheese to families on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. while supplies last. To ensure the safety and health of all involved in the distribution, there will be a drive-through distribution process. Residents are asked to stay in their car until they are prompted to receive their milk.

”Fortunately, dairy farmers have not experienced a disruption in milk production, and there is no shortage of milk,” says Rick Naczi, CEO, American Dairy Association North East. “Milk is an essential item for nutritional wellbeing and meal preparation, especially for households with children. We’re doing everything we can to make sure families have access to milk.”

“As a dairy cooperative owned by family farmers across the country, we are dedicated to helping provide nutritious food for family tables,” said Jennifer Huson, Senior Director Marketing, Council Affairs and Industry Relations for DFA Northeast.  “Knowing that millions of Americans are struggling right now to make ends meet and with food banks being a critical local resource to help feed those families, we knew that we had to figure out a solution.”

About Dairy Farmers of America

Dairy Farmers of America is a national, farmer-owned dairy cooperative focusing on quality, innovation and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving more than 13,000 family farmers, DFA works with some of the world’s largest food companies to develop ingredients that satisfy their customers’ cravings while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, please visit dfamilk.com.

 About American Dairy Association North East

American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is a regional marketing organization funded by over 10,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia. ADA North East directs programs to increase sales and access to milk and dairy foods at retail outlets, schools and food banks. ADA North East is the local dairy checkoff promotion organization of Dairy Management Inc.™. For more information, visit americandairy.com.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of donors devoted to addressing needs as they arise in our community, we received a grant in the amount of $2,000 from Northern New York Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Community Support Fund. Thanks to this donation our shelves continue to be stocked with nutritious food, including a variety of canned vegetables, pasta, protein and soup. 

The Food Pantry at Community Action Planning Council has been able to provide food packages equivalent to 25,260 meals during March 2020. As the effects of this community challenge unfold, we anticipate continued need for food pantry packages. This contribution will go a long way toward ensuring our community members affected by this crisis are fed.

Visitors to the food pantry are provided with a three-day supply of food (three meals per day) for each member of the household and can return weekly for additional assistance. Food packages contain a variety of food items in keeping with nutrition guidelines from the Food Bank of Central New York. For more information about the food pantry or other Community Action services, please contact 315.782.4900, extension 222.

Head Start is recruiting for the 2020-2021 School Year! If you have a child who turns 3 or 4 by December 1st this year give us a call and see if they quality for our free program!

Experienced volunteer tax preparers are busy at Community Action Planning Council filing federal and state income tax forms! All tax preparers undergo rigorous training and are certified by the Internal Revenue Service. Tax preparation is a free service available to residents of Jefferson County with household incomes less than $56,000.

We will be available for appointments Monday – Wednesday – Friday February 3, 2020 through April 15, 2020 from 8:30 am – 2:30pm. We will NOT be available on Monday, February 17, 2020

Tax Preparation will be available by appointment only. Please call for appointments at 315-782-4900 ext. 271

Qualifications:

1. You must make under $56,000.00
2. You will need to bring all income statements (W-2, unemployment forms, 1099 etc)
3. You will need original Social Security Cards for yourself and all persons listed on your taxes.
4. You will need a picture ID and bank routing numbers if you file electronically.
5. You will need to bring form 1095-A if you pay for insurance through the Marketplace

We will only be able to prepare simple tax returns, no self-employment, capital gains, etc.   

Thanks to the generosity of donors devoted to helping to enhance the quality of life in our community, we received a grant in the amount of $1,500 from Northern New York Community Foundation. Thanks to this donation our selves continue to be stocked with nutritious food, including a variety of canned vegetables, pasta, protein and soup. 

Our pantry at Community Action Planning Council receives financial support from a variety of sources, including the Food Bank of Central New York, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the Northern New York Community Foundation, as well as donations and food drives coordinated by area businesses and individuals.

The Food Pantry at Community Action Planning Council has been able to provide food packages equivalent to 153,416 meals from October 2018 to Sept 2019.

Visitors to the food pantry are provided with a five-day supply of food (three meals per day) for each member of the household. Food packages contain a variety of food items in keeping with nutrition guidelines from the Food Bank of Central New York. For more information about the food pantry or other Community Action services, please contact 315.782.4900, extension 222.

Now in its 4^th year, the Early Childhood Professionals (ECP) program has released the 2020 list of participating businesses. Each one of these partners has offered incentives like discounts and specials, to any person working in Registered or Licensed child care with an ECP card. They recognize that everyone in a community benefits from a strong early care and learning system.

This year, cards are also available to teachers in school district-funded PreK classrooms. The youngest learners are the most affected by high quality settings and qualified staff.

ECP program is an initiative of Community Action Planning Council and supports the work of the North Country Alliance for Early Childhood Education B-8 to ensure all children are supported and are ready for school, career, and community life.

For more information, please call 315-782-4900 ext. 237

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