The meeting that night might best be described as "cozy" with 31 Harding Club members and wives ensconced in the
somewhat abbreviated downstairs G&G's dining room.
At 8 pm Martin Hochhauser called the meeting to order in anticipation of president Dan Ahley's introduction of the evening's speakers; Harding Club member Arnold Most and his lovely wife Debbie. The topic of their presentation was their partipation in the newly created "Pri HaEmek" CSA organization. Pri HaEmek, they explained, is Hebrew for "Bounty of the Valley". The valley in question is our own Mid-Hudson Valley which is home to both growers and consumers of farm fresh fruits and vegetables. In the past, explained Arnold and Debbie, these two groups have often passed each other like ships in the night; with farmers selling their produce to far off customers, while local consumers have had to make do with fruits and vegetables grown in other regions and often transported and stored for a period of weeks. A CSA, they explained, stands for "community supported agriculture", which is a cooperative agreement between local farmers and people who agree to pre-purchase shares of a farmer's produce for an entire growing season. Thus, the consumers have a direct link to the production of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. To become a participant of "Pri Ha Emek", said Arnold and Debbie, it is necessary to buy an interest in the upcoming growing season, as well as a membership fee. A full share for the 2012 season will be $500. while the membership fee is $36.Distribution of the fruits and vegetables will take place weekly on Thursdays over the summer and fall at the JCC. For more information please contact bountyofthevalley@gmail.com or bountyofthevalley.org.
Club Business: Our guest for the evening was Michael Rothman, who was attending that evening with his charming
wife Sara, and whose letter of recommendation for membership was read by Gary Mayer. Hailing from New Jersey, Michael and his family have been living in the Mid-Hudson Valley since 1980. Michael was employed by IBM until 1998 at which time he started his own data consulting company among other things. Michael was asked to leave the room momentarily while a unanimous vote was taken to accept him. Welcome to the Harding Club Michael! Dan Ashley then spoke about the possibility of finally holding our Fall Gala the evening Wednesday, February 22nd , at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel. The featured event of the evening would be a lecture by our very own Irv Miller. Please contact Dan if you and your wife wish to attend. A motion to adjourn was accepted by those assembled at 9 pm.
Submitted by Peter Albenda, with respect.
John Weisman, VP of keeping SNOW away from Poughkeepsie and doing a great job so far I might add. Sorry Skiers!