Happy April, everyone! We hope wherever you are that Spring has officially sprung. While we are remodeling our non-profit’s kitchen space thanks to a generous grant from the Delaware Community Foundation, our volunteers and supporters were still able to cook & deliver a whopping 850 meals as well as donate $4103 in dry goods and produce. This is a record for the month of March and we are so thankful for all of your continued support, we cannot do it without you. 

Longer days and warmers nights are ahead and that means Spring planting preparations are upon us. If you would like to volunteer at one of our many community garden spaces, grow from home and donate your excess produce, or just learn more about how to get started, simply reply to this email. Spring is a busy time and we are always looking for helping hands. All ages and abilities welcome. April showers bring bountiful harvests! 

Prescription Produce

Beebe Healthcare has signed a long-term lease for the former Weis store in the Rehoboth Marketplace shopping center. The project is still in the planning phase, Beebe spokesman Ryan Marshall said, but Beebe’s plan is to convert the building into a mix of medical offices, population health services, and warehouse space. This will expand healthcare options for local members of the community, offering preventative wellness visits and nutritional planning. And why is nutritional planning beneficial? Because Food is Medicine.

The world is facing a global epidemic of diet-related chronic disease. In fact, according to a 2020 article published in The BMJ, “one of every five deaths across the globe is attributable to suboptimal diet, more than any other risk factor including tobacco.” 
A study on worldwide mortality and disease showed that in 2017, 11 million deaths were likely due to poor diet.

While on the other hand, research also indicates that diets abundant in plant foods and low in processed products strengthen your health and in some cases can even reverse certain conditions, for example, plant-based diets have been found to reverse coronary artery disease while very-low-carb lifestyles may help eliminate type 2 diabetes in some people.
The bottom line is, more nutritious patterns of eating are tied to better quality of life and lower rates of depression than the typical over processed Western diet.

While grocery prices are still high due to inflation, many Americans are having to make the impossible decision between feeding their families a healthy meal full of greens and lean meats, or quick processed frankenfoods that cost less and stretch their dollar further. When the trade off is a lifetime of chronic illness, the decision becomes clear. We hope that you will support your local food banks and pantries so that families can make better decisions together.

Is your business or group looking for tourism exposure? Join the Sussex EcoChallenge by the TAPTF Society! Together we will create a network of businesses looking to highlight eco-friendly recipes, resources, education, and sustainability. If you run a sustainable business in Rehoboth, we want to hear from you! Participants will be given the option of walkable routes, bus routes, beach visits, gardening lessons and more. Our go-at-your-own-pace scavenger hunt style sightseeing map will introduce visitors and locals alike to points of interest and educational stops that will include fun for the whole family. Highlight your business’s achievements by partnering with us on a fun new way bring foot traffic to your storefront and to learn more about our beautiful town.

Visit The EcoChallenge Page of our website to learn more!

“The crisis of homelessness will never be solved without first solving the crisis of housing.”

-Gavin Newsom, Governor of California

1200 Tiny homes will be distributed across four outer city communities to help alleviate the homelessness crisis in California. The units can be as small as 120sq feet, but shelter over a person’s head, as well as the safety and privacy of a locking door are priceless to a person experiencing homelessness.

Tiny Home villages are not a new concept to California, but the surge in funding to address this growing problem has opened the idea to other states across the country, even Delaware. NPR explains:

“Delaware has seen an increase in need amid the pandemic, with the number of people getting help from food banks and state assistance growing. The Delaware State Housing Authority has also seen an uptick in people looking for housing assistance as the state deals with a shortage of affordable housing.

The lack of affordable housing is contributing to the growing number of people experiencing homelessness. Not only is this evident in Georgetown, but it’s also seen in several homeless encampments throughout Sussex County, including those in Milford, Seaford, Rehoboth, and Lewes.” – WHYY.org August 5, 2022

Delaware is facing a growing housing crisis with nearly 2,500 people currently experiencing homelessness. That is more than double what was reported in January of 2020 and the highest number ever recorded in the First State. Pallet Village in Georgetown hosted by The Springboard Collaborative, a local non-profit, aims to change that.

Pallet Village is made up of small, 64sqft cabins which now provide shelter for 46 residents, with air conditioning, heat, electrical outlets, and common bathrooms included. Future additions include a community center with job recruitment and specialists available for personalized care. As well as our personal favorite, an edible garden.

“Beebe is coming about at least twice a month with a medical bus, so residents can walk right up the street and get medical attention. The Department of Health and Social Services division have done mental health screenings for almost the entire population.” says Judsone Malone, Springboard’s executive director. “This is a place, an interim step to getting to permanent housing,” Malone says. Through this process, project managers help residents navigate through the journey to their own individual housing plan.

These one-stop communities can provide a blueprint for states who want to end the housing crisis for their residents. There are plenty of routes to treat the symptoms, but the only solution to homelessness is a home.

For Jennifer McErlane, a resident of Pallet Village and her cat Little Man, the village has been “a godsend.” She’s now hoping to get a part-time job as a housekeeper with Beebe. “And I’m going to get my G.E.D,” she said. “I feel great, I mean it boosts your energy, your morale. It makes you feel normal.”

And that is something everyone deserves.