Commending JCEO for responsiveness to emerging needs

The team at the North Country Healthy Heart Network has been — pardon the pun — heartened by our region’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are countless people, businesses and organizations to extend our gratitude to, but we wanted to say a special thank you to our partners and friends at the Joint Council for Economic Opportunity (JCEO).

Over the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with JCEO to improve access to locally produced vegetables at worksites and in communities.Most recently, with funding from the Adirondack Health Institute and support from the Heart Network’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities program, JCEO has constructed and utilized greenhouses to grow produce for its food service programs. As the state and national response to COVID-19 settled in, JCEO quickly began sending produce from the greenhouses to food pantries across their service area.

Additionally, JCEO will work with other local organizations to include produce in emergency food packages for people in need.

We know JCEO is far from the only organization to shift its priorities quickly to meet new and emerging needs. To everyone else working to support our communities — thank you.