• A Neighborhood Garden Blooms at Moot Community Center

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    Read the original article on Buffalo Rising

    A partnership between the the Buffalo Medical Campus (BNMC), Grassroots Gardens, the Massachusetts Avenue Project, and the Mulberry Street and Friends Block Club, has resulted in a new pergola addition at the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC) Moot Senior Community Center. The site for this inspirational neighborhood project is in the heart of The Fruit Belt, where residents are now able to share in the healthy spoils of a garden, and the accompanying pergola.

    This ongoing project is of utmost importance, because the East Side does not have access to readily accessible healthy foods – it is still considered a food desert at this point in time. But with the advent of community gardens, there are more and more people who have the ability to access the foods that they require to be healthy. This type of urban gardening and farming is considered to be “low hanging fruit” when talking about ways to empower the residents who are looking to access healthier food options. The prospect of a full fledge market is a heavy lift, which means that there needs to be an interim plan. These neighborhood gardens are part of that plan.

    “Our seniors are proud of the garden that they planted and care for at the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC) Moot Senior Community Center,” stated Daysi Ball, Assistant Director of Program Development & Senior Services Moot Community Center. “One thing that they always asked for was somewhere to sit and admire the natural beauty of the garden. Now the dream has come true. The seniors are looking forward to making the pergola beautiful and cozy.”

    Westminster Commons Groundbreaking

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    Construction is now underway on a senior housing and healthcare project on the city’s East Side.

    The project also takes the Westminster Settlement House, originally built in 1893, and converts it into a community service facility for both residents and the community.

    The renovated Westminster Settlement House will offer a certified senior adult day care program, a medical clinic, a pharmacy, physical rehabilitative services and office space.

    BFNC Partners with Many to Offer Locally Grown Fruits & Vegetables

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    Article originally posted on Buffalo Rising

    Danielle Rovillo, the Market’s Director of the Massachusetts Avenue Project (MAP), described the selection process of the Mobile Market’s produce in their efforts to supply the freshest fruits and vegetables for those within the community.

    “Our produce comes from both urban and rural growers. We have about seven farms that we work with regularly and we’re always looking for new ones.”

    The local collection of the produce allows for guaranteed freshness and overall produce quality. Although the produce is not organic, the Mobile Market’s local fruits and vegetables remain full of nutrients during the farm-to-table process due to their immediate transportation time.

    “We travel near and far to grab produce and sometimes we travel over an hour to pick stuff up. We work hard to work with farmers that are using natural growing methods. As best as we can, we work with farmers using limited pesticides and chemicals. We don’t use any of that stuff on our farm but we’re only an acre on the west side so we can’t grow it all; a lot of our farmers are using natural methods.”

    Five Star Bank Awards $2000 to Fund BFNC Hope Center

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    The Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers’ (BFNC) mission of assisting individuals with overcoming life obstacles include a network of services. With the assistance of the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County and Five Star Bank the BFNC Hope Center was created to provide participants customized financial coaching and planning to enhance quality of life, increase financial security, and develop skills to achieve economic independence.

    The BFNC Hope Center, based upon the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Pathway to Prosperity program, is a neighborhood resource center that offers individuals and families the ease of obtaining the financial assistance they need at one location.

    “Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers for over 100 years has been in the business of elevating and assisting neighbors with acquiring the skills needed to achieve their life goals and independence,” stated Ricardo I. Herrera, BFNC Executive Director.

    A Neighborhood Garden Blooms at Moot Community Center

    /in ,

    A partnership between the the Buffalo Medical Campus (BNMC), Grassroots Gardens, the Massachusetts Avenue Project, and the Mulberry Street and Friends Block Club, has resulted in a new pergola addition at the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC) Moot Senior Community Center. The site for this inspirational neighborhood project is in the heart of The Fruit Belt, where residents are now able to share in the healthy spoils of a garden, and the accompanying pergola.

    Read More at Buffalo Rising

    Discovering An Eastside Historic Asset

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    Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers: In the Community and Serving the Community

    Have you seen a large yellow building on the corner of Orange and Virginia Streets in Buffalo?

    That building is affectionately known by longtime Fruit Belt neighborhood residents as the Neighborhood House, operated by the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers (BFNC). The BFNC prepares and empowers its neighbors. The human services agency is connected to an over 100-year history that began in 1893.

    Founded during the 1890s Settlement House Movement, the Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers, Inc. is the product of a 1981 merger of the Westminster Community House, created by the Westminster Presbyterian Church in 1893, and the Neighborhood House Association, founded in 1894.

    The Westminster House, located on Monroe Street, and the Neighborhood House Association were established in response to the severe economic recession during that time; making them the second and third oldest settlement houses in the United States. It was then that the two houses collaborated to assist the influx of European immigrants and later southern African American migrants who settled into Buffalo from the 1940s through the 1970s. The mission was to help Immigrant populations rise above the challenges of urban poverty.

    It is in this effort that BFNC continues to stay true to its roots, through wrap-around services and programs designed to serve intergenerational populations. Its service recipients range from youth to seniors, as well as individuals with special needs in Buffalo and Erie County.

    The organization plays a major role as a human services safety net, ensuring that any Western New Yorker who needs help and/or who has trouble accessing services, or has slipped through the cracks of the human service system, has a trusted place to go.

    Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers logo, Buffalo NY

    BFNC’s doors are open to all people and communities – helping them navigate a path from where they are to where they want to be.

    CONTACT BFNC

    716.852.5065

    2365 Main Street
    Buffalo, NY 14214

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