The Quimby Family Foundation has announced a $10,000 grant award to Incredible Edible Milbridge as part of their Nourishment funding. The support will be used to expand Incredible Edible Milbridge at the new Milbridge Commons Wellness Park and Garden for the 2019 growing season. IEM offers free pick-your-own organic produce and gardening education in an effort to create a community that is healthier, stronger and more food independent. Gardens are also located throughout downtown Milbridge and at the Red Barn Motel; all gardens are open to the entire community.
The Quimby Family Foundation defines health in a way that reflects the same values as the Women’s Health Resource Library. Here we share the Quimby’s vision for “Human Wholeness”:
What do we mean by Human Wholeness and why is it our focus?
Human Wholeness: To us, human wholeness is physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health. We believe in the inherent value of nature to advance all four.
Belief: Connecting with one another and nature is vital to growing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health. Our wish is that people are empowered to make proactive choices to benefit personal and planetary health. We hope for a collective commitment to human wholeness that offers a healthier path forward. To help blaze a new path, we shift away from our detrimental subsidized food system, recognize the limitations of our current healthcare model, and we invest in human connection, active lifestyles and nourished bodies.
Challenge: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75 percent of our health care dollars are used to treat preventable chronic diseases and conditions. We see the following four issues (Nature Deficit Disorder, Isolation/Loneliness, A Broken Food System, and Sedentary Lifestyles) as key challenges to our individual and collective well-being.