A calf at Fouts Farm in Cortlandville was so cute and sweet that a school principal and the county sheriff couldn’t help themselves from making a move.
Fouts Farm hosted its first “Kiss the Calf” fundraiser Friday morning, where six community leaders smooched a baby cow, Valentina, instead of their valentines.
The community leaders agreed to kiss the calves if $5,000 was raised for Seven Valleys Health Coalition – 80 donors contributed $5,800.
The calf-kissers:
•Jackie Leaf, executive director of Seven Valleys Health Coalition.
•Bob Haight, president and CEO of the Cortland Area Chamber of Commerce.
•Rob Reyngoudt, school safety personnel at Dryden Central School District.
•Doug Pasquerella, principal of Homer Elementary School.
•Mark Helms, Cortland County sheriff.
•Tim Kise, director of communications for Assembly Member Anna Kelles (D-Freeville).
Kise didn’t wake up Friday planning on kissing an animal, until Kelles was trapped in a snow storm. Haight had a very romantic moment with the calf, lying down on the ground with her and petting her head before the kiss.
Helms didn’t feel a spark, he said.
“I think we bothered her from her nap, so it made it a little bit tough,” he said.
“It feels really good to see this amount of community support,” Leaf said. “This is the first time we’ve done something like this. I just love (everyone) coming together.”
Seven Valleys Health Coalition’s food rescue program provides healthy, fresh, locally sourced food to 25 food pantries, said Assistant Director Anna Wells.
“Healthy eating is a privilege,” Wells said. “The cheapest options you can find at the grocery stores are often the most unhealthy.”
One in eight families in Cortland County experience food insecurity, she said.
“Food is a fundamental part of life,” Wells said. “It is the basis of living. Everybody needs food, and food insecurity is a hidden issue in Cortland County. Anything we can do to help address that, we want to.”
Julia Fouts, a fourth-generation farmer at Fouts Farm, chose Seven Valleys Health Coalition to keep the funds local.
“Everyone should have the right to food,” Fouts said. “It’s kind of annoying that we have to raise money for it. It’s for a great cause, and it’s keeping the money right in the county.”
Cortland County has more than 46,300 residents – nearly 13% are food insecure, reports the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, or 6,000 people. That’s 30% higher than the rest of the state, Hunger Solution New York reports.
The institute’s data also show 4% of the county’s population lack access to healthy food, which is twice the rate as the rest of the state, but less than the national average of 6%.
“With all of the things that are going on in this country, and the needs that we see people have, I just can’t see anything more important than trying to help with that,” Helms said.
