SFCU donates to DCMO BOCES
The Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego BOCES backpack program received a donation from Sidney Federal Credit Union Monday, June 24.
Rebecca Hedlund, SFCU membership engagement officer, and Denys Soto, SFCU membership services coordinator, presented a $1,000 check to Sara Stafford, director of special education for DCMO BOCES.
“For some of our students, the backpack program gives them access to snacks and serves ready foods they can consume during school breaks when school food is unavailable,” Stafford said. “The generous contribution from SFCU will help us feed more students.”
The backpack program helps address food insecurity and was selected by SFCU to receive a donation.
The contribution represent a gift for the students who participated in the program, said Martha Ryan, DCMO BOCES enrichment coordinator.
“This gift could come back to the same students who chose supporting food banks” she said. “The lessons they learned could positively impact their future in many ways.”
The donation follows the Real World Money Edition events that SFCU recently sponsored at the two DCMO BOCES campuses.
Those hands-on financial learning experiences asked students to make budgeting decisions across a range of real-life categories. The exercise taught students the importance of including charitable contributions in their plans. Through their budgeting choices, the students identified the food bank as a top priority for their charitable giving.
State DOL releases area unemployment rates for May
New York state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% in May, according to a news release from the state Department of Labor.
DOL released preliminary local area unemployment rates for May on Tuesday, June 25. Rates are calculated using methods prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s area unemployment rates rely in part on the results of the Current Population Survey, which contacts about 3,100 households in New York state each month.
According to the DOL, the unemployment rate in Otsego County was 3.7% in May. Delaware County was reported at 3.9%, Chenango County 3.2% and Schoharie County 3.9%.
The numbers are not seasonally adjusted, which means they reflect seasonal influences such as holiday and summer hires.
Cooperstown Farmers’ market open Tuesdays
The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, open year-round on Saturdays, also will be open on Tuesdays in July, August, and September.
Tuesday hours are noon to 4 p.m. and Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The market is located at 101 Main Street in Pioneer Alley in Cooperstown, near Doubleday Field.
Tuesday market vendors include Casey Beal Designs, Chloe’s Bakeshop, Cooperstown Maple Works, Gaia’s Breath Farm, Girasole Farm, Happy Hollow Farm, Hearts of Stone, Heller’s Farm, Mimikis, Mountain View Dairy, Rock Hill Farm and Straight from the Hive.
“It’s great to have a second market in the height of summer so people can restock and get fresh produce,” Market Manager Alex Webster said in a statement.
The Tuesday market also will feature fresh bread, donuts, meat, cheese, flowers, jewelry, fiber arts, honey, artwork, home goods, prepared foods, gifts, maple products, toys, made-to-order sandwiches, native plants, birdhouses, and more.
Local musicians are slated perform from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays.
Customers using SNAP can stretch their food budget with a match of up to $20 through the Cooperstown Lions Club SNAP Match program and a second match of up to $20 for fruit and vegetables through the Double Up Food Bucks program. More information at www.cooperstownfarmersmarket.org.