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LEWISTOWN -- Local non-profit Community Partnerships (RC&D) has a lot cooking this fall as it works toward its mission of "strengthening community through creative partnerships" in the organization's 30th year.
The group's partnerships take many forms and include the Wild Geese: Flock Together public art project (28 fiberglass flock members have landed in the Juniata Valley) and a business incubation project that houses The Crooked Shelf Bookshop in downtown Lewistown at Community Partnerships' Taylor House in Lewistown.
Local residents may also know the organization through the work of volunteer local food coordinator Rosie Massie's well-attended Garden to Table Series.
"It connects the community when we get together," Massie said. "You get to know your neighbor, and it makes the community a better place. Plus, we are sharing good information about gardening and its benefits."
The free Garden to Table classes are supported by a grant through the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata and educate people of all ages on fresh food growing, preparation and preservation. The next class focuses on making homemade sauerkraut and is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. at The Body and Soul Community Center in Strodes Mills.
Community Partnerships recently brought home a highly-competitive PA SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan) grant to our area as 92 of 337 applicants were funded statewide. Through PA SHARP, Community Partnerships created the Blue Juniata Foodways program which explores the assortment of food cultures and customs contained within the Juniata Valley.
Community Partnerships outreach specialist Javiera Herrera has conducted several video interviews, collected recipes and organized special tasting events in coordination with Lewistown First Friday as part of the project. Folklorist Jade Banks has also contributed to the project's scope and planning.
"Blue Juniata Foodways has been an amazing project to be part of," Herrera said. "Being able to spend time with people sharing their stories, culture, and delicious food has been magical."
Traditional foods found in the Juniata Valley and featured to date include Chilean beef empanadas by Sergio Herrera, Edelia Ortiz's Salvadorian pupusas, Puerto Rican pastelillos by Ramona Cortes and deer camp venison chili by Tim and Kathryn Newcamp.
The upcoming Lewistown First Friday Blue Juniata Foodways event on Nov. 4 will feature another special opportunity to taste the food of local tradition bearers. Mary Anna Chenoweth and Irene Arseniu will present Greek spanakopita and baklava at The Crooked Shelf Bookshop and Community Partnerships' location at 23 N. Main St., Lewistown.
A new program in 2021, the Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator (CEA) program, funded by the PA Council of the Arts, allows Community Partnerships to support regional businesses with grants up to $2,000.
Program manager Kiernan Schalk administers the program locally while small business development centers at Penn State and Bucknell universities provide referrals for potential applicants. Hometown Potters Studio and Mill Street Barbershop are a few local examples of more than 20 businesses funded by CEA in the region.
"This program provides an opportunity for a business that may just be getting off the ground, or perhaps one that wants to take that next step in expanding their reach. The creative sector is a driving force in small business development and this program recognizes that fact and seeks to assist in further developing Pennsylvania's diverse economy," Schalk said.
Many artists and art organizations are supported by grants managed by Community Partnerships in partnership with the PA Council of the Arts. Nineteen folk and traditional master artists and apprentices from across PA received $75,000 while $100,000 is slated to be granted out to regional artists and organizations through the Partners in the Arts program administered by Schalk. Local grantees include the Juniata River Valley Visitors Bureau and Friends of the Embassy Theatre.
Young citizens are also impacted by a Community Partnerships program as local Project YES students are given a variety of extracurricular experiences and field trips through after-school and summer programming. Trips include activities at the Palmer Art Museum, Little Buffalo State Park, The Arboretum at Penn State and many local businesses and organizations. This Community Education program is made possible through a partnership with the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit 11 and the United Way of Mifflin Juniata.
"The first 30 years of our organization have seen many people contribute to our mission and we're grateful to them all," executive director Sam Price said. "We're going to continue to do our best to make the community stronger."
For more information about Community Partnerships, visit cpartnerships.com and follow the organization on social media.