From the press release:
The Land Connection Joins the Global #GivingTuesday Movement
Pledges to combat food insecurity in Champaign-Urbana and Central Illinois by supporting local farmers and making local food more accessible to all.
Champaign, IL, November 18, 2016 – The Land Connection is joining #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
Champaign County has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the state of Illinois, with a food insecurity rate of over 17%, higher than Chicago. The Land Connection works to help ensure connect the community to local food through the Champaign Farmers’ Market and by offering a wide variety of training opportunities to Central Illinois farmers, both new and experienced. By tackling the issue from both the supply and the need side, we aim to make fresh, healthy, local food more accessible and affordable for all.
Occurring this year on November 29, #GivingTuesday is held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday to kick-off the holiday giving season and inspire people to collaborate in improving their local communities and to give back in impactful ways to the charities and causes they support.
The Land Connection has joined #GivingTuesday to help our community learn more about the great work that’s being done at the local and regional level to support a healthier food system.
“At a time when more and more folks want locally produced food, The Land Connection serves as the bridge between farmers, consumers, and chefs. Thanks to TLC, Sola Gratia Farm has been able to share our knowledge with beginning farmers through workshops and classes, and our crops with the community at the Champaign Farmers’ Market,” notes Traci Barkley, of Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana.
92Y − a cultural center in New York City that, since 1874, has been bringing people together around its core values of community service and giving back − conceptualized #GivingTuesday as a new way of linking individuals and causes to strengthen communities and encourage giving. In 2015, the fourth year of the movement, #GivingTuesday brought together over 45,000 partners in 71 countries and helped raise nearly $117 Million online in the US alone.
“We have been incredibly inspired by the generosity in time, efforts and ideas that have brought our concept for a worldwide movement into reality,” said Henry Timms, founder of #GivingTuesday and executive director of 92Y. “As we embark on our fifth year of #GivingTuesday, we are encouraged by the early response from partners eager to continue making an impact in this global conversation.”
Those who are interested in joining The Land Connection’s #GivingTuesday initiative can visit this page. For more details about the #GivingTuesday movement, visit the #GivingTuesday website, Facebook page or follow @GivingTues and the #GivingTuesday hashtag on social media.
About The Land Connection
The Land Connection is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system.
About #GivingTuesday
#GivingTuesday is a movement to celebrate and provide incentives to give—the 2016 iteration will be held on November 29, 2016. This effort harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners—nonprofits, businesses and corporations as well as families and individuals—to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season. #GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday harnesses the power of social media to create a global moment dedicated to giving around the world.
To learn more about #GivingTuesday participants and activities or to join the celebration of giving, please visit:
Website: www.givingtuesday.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday
Twitter: twitter.com/GivingTues
