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Pets Together – A home-grown Stanford non-profit makes a Difference

Animal Farm Foundation Launches Pets Together Program

-Response to COVID-19 crisis designed to ease social isolation- 

 

Bangall, NY April 16. 2020: Animal Farm Foundation has announced the launch of Pets Together, a free virtual program that allows those who are socially isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic to enjoy friendly interaction with pets (including dogs, cats, goats, horses, and other critters) and people. The goal of the program is to increase social connection and mitigate the loneliness that is a painful aspect of the pandemic. 

 

Animal Farm Foundation (AFF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing dogs and people together to end discrimination. Using live video-conferencing platforms (Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts), the AFF team will schedule real-time visits where people can watch the animals and participate in friendly conversations with those who care for them. Notably, the Pets Together model greatly expands access to pet visits that have traditionally been reserved for face-to-face interactions for people living in group settings (such as nursing homes and hospitals) through formal therapy animal programs. The video chats are also available to doctors, nurses, and other health professionals on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis.

 

“One of the many effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is social isolation and loneliness, which were already highly prevalent before the crisis” said Stacey Coleman, Executive Director of Animal Farm Foundation. “We designed Pets Together to adapt to these unprecedented circumstances by tapping into the power of pets to spread joy and bring people together.”

 

Even before the pandemic, social isolation was a public health threat negatively impacting the wellbeing of many individuals, including but not limited to older adults. Now, with the mandate to stay at home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, so many more people are at risk for social isolation—further threatening physical as well as mental health. 

 

Defined as a state in which the individual lacks a sense of belonging socially and engagement with others, social isolation can result in a 29% increased risk of mortality over time, researchers have found. In fact, social isolation is comparable with other well-established risk factors such as poor access to health care, exposure to environmental hazards, injury and violence, obesity and physical inactivity, substance misuse and mental health disorders. 

 

Kim Wolf, Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work Candidate at the University of Georgia, worked with AFF to create the innovative Pets Together Program. She explains, “Pets bring us comfort during times of distress, but not everyone is in a position to have one. I can’t imagine going through this pandemic without my pets, so I wanted to share them with others. Pets Together is a model that brings joy and comfort to those who are feeling socially isolated and lonely. We are all in this together, even the pets!”

 

For more information about the Pets Together Program, or to learn how to participate, please visit https://petstogether.org/

 

About Animal Farm Foundation

 

Animal Farm Foundation (AFF) brings dogs and people together to end discrimination. As a 501(c)3, AFF creates positive change for dogs, people, and communities through our service dog program, PAWS prison program, and by funding the training of K9 detection dogs. We provide lawmakers and policymakers with the information they need to create non-discriminatory laws and policies. If necessary, we work within the legal system to end breed-specific discrimination. We also consult with and offer free resources to animal welfare workers and community advocates. www.animalfarmfoundation.org

 

New York On PAUSE

It is critically important that our community continue to practice social distancing and adhere to Governor Cuomo’s “New York State on PAUSE” executive order through April 29th.  Dutchess County will experience its surge in the next two weeks so we need to be extra vigilant. The key points are as follows:

*All non-essential businesses statewide will be closed;

*Non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason are canceled or postponed at this time;

*Any concentration of individuals outside their home must be limited to workers providing essential services and social distancing should be practiced;

*When in public individuals must practice social distancing of at least six feet from others;

*Sick individuals should not leave their home unless to receive medical care and only after a tele-health visit to to determine if leaving the home is in the best interest of their health;

*Young people should also practice social distancing and avoid contact with vulnerable populations; and

*Use precautionary sanitizer practices such as using isopropyl alcohol wipes

Violations of this order would be subject to punishment and fines per the State enforcement directives. “The fine for such violation by an individual who is participating in any gathering which violates the terms of the orders or is failing to abide by social distancing restrictions in efffect in any place which is not their home shall not exceed $1,000.

Storm Alert for Dutchess County

Service restored to more than 27,000 customers

95% should be restored by tonight at 10 p.m.

Large field force will continue to make repairs through Wednesday

A field force of 370 electric line and tree clearing personnel, together with a support staff of hundreds, are assessing damage, making repairs and restoring electric service today, following Monday’s severe weather that interrupted power to more than 39,000 Central Hudson customers. The storm caused more than 1.3 million power outages from Texas to Maine, bringing high winds and stormy conditions to the Mid-Hudson Valley region. As of 7 a.m. this morning, service has been restored to 27,600 homes and businesses since the start of the storm on Monday morning. Currently, approximately 11,500 customers are without electric service, the majority of which continue to be located in southeastern Dutchess County and Orange County. More than 340 individual damage locations are reported, including 31 broken poles, each to be addressed by repair crews in order to restore electric service.

OUTAGE INFORMATION:  

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“Because of the significant number of individual damage locations, we expect that repairs will likely continue to take place throughout today and Wednesday,” said Ryan Hawthorne, Assistant Vice President of Electric Engineering and Operations at Central Hudson. “To assist in our restoration efforts, we are working to secure additional electric line workers, however resources are stretched thinly across the multi-state areas impacted by these storms,” he said. “We will continue to use every means to secure additional resources as they become available.”

Watch out for fallen wires and instruct children to do the same

“As a safety reminder, keep at least 30 feet away from downed power lines, and remember that lines may be entangled and hidden in fallen trees and limbs,” said Hawthorne. “Assume all downed lines are live, and maintain a wide distance from fallen trees and limbs.” He said under the current pandemic, many families and children are at home and often take to the outdoors or go for walks in their neighborhoods, especially as the weather has turned milder. “Please watch for and keep families and neighbors away from these hazards,” he said. Motorists, too, should continue be aware of the potential for downed limbs and power lines that may block roadways, and should never attempt to drive over or around downed power lines. “We understand the importance of electric service to our customers and their families under these circumstances and remain committed to restoring power as quickly and safely as possible.”

Central Hudson follows CDC guidelines for the safety of the public and utility personnel. “Our electric line crews and support staff are practicing social distancing when addressing emergencies and we are staging crews to avoid clustering of personnel,” said Hawthorne. “We kindly ask that our customers, too, maintain social distancing with one another and our field personnel as they repair storm damage and restore power.”

AVOID ALL FALLEN WIRES:

You can’t tell if a power line is energized just by looking at it. Assume all fallen power lines are live and proceed with extreme caution.

• Do not drive over fallen wires. Always follow the utility personnel instructions regarding fallen power lines.

• If you see a fallen power line, stay at least 30 feet away from it and anything it contacts. The ground around a power line and any objects it contacts may be energized. Call 911 to report fallen wires.

• Do not attempt to move a fallen power line or anything else in contact with it using an object such as a broom or stick. Even non-conductive materials like wood or cloth can conduct electricity if even slightly wet.

CARBON MONOXIDE& GENERATOR SAFETY:

• NEVER operate a generator in an enclosed space, including your basement or garage. Doing so can lead to a potentially lethal build-up of colorless, odorless, poisonous carbon monoxide.

• NEVER use your oven, a grill or any outdoor heating appliance indoors. Doing so creates potentially lethal fire and carbon monoxide hazards.

• Only have an experienced electrician connect a generator to your home. Improperly installed generators may overload circuits, cause a fire or shock hazard, and can result in serious injury or property damage. Improperly installed generators can also back-feed onto electric lines and endanger repair crews working to restore service.

• Plug appliances directly into the generator using a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cord that is designed to handle the wattage of all the appliances being connected.

 

 

Birthday Celebrations for our Children

The Stanford Fire Company and Pine Plains Hose Company are teaming up to celebrate the birthdays of children in our towns. They are planning to drive their engines to the homes of children with birthdays and blow the sirens, honk the horns and hopefully make their day.  The plan is that the trucks will be making the rounds on Saturdays between 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. 

If the birthday is between April 9th and 19th, they will be driving by on Saturday the 18th.

If the birthday is between April 20th and April 26th, they will be driving by on Saturday the 25th.

If the birthday is between April 27th and May 3rd they will be driving by on Saturday May 2md/

Parent should should call any of the following people to get on the calendar and provide their phone number, address and birthday child’s first name so they can call out to the child by name.

Matt Zick     845-705-5533       Ed Zick   845-266-8366     Kathie Spiers   845-868-7320

Please call by Thursday 8 p.m. prior to the Saturday they want the drive by to occur.  Once the schedule is set, the parents will be called to get an estimated time for the drive by.  Please make sure you are outside with your child so they are properly supervised.  

 

Virtual Town Board Meeting

Our Town Board Meeting will be held on April 9th, 2020 at 7:00 via ZOOM.  The meeting will be live-streamed to our TOWN OF STANFORD NOTES FROM THE SUPERVISOR Facebook page, and you will be able to send in questions from that site which we will answer.  The meeting will be recorded and posted to the Town website hopefully within a day or two.  We are still trying to learn a lot of new technology so we can keep the working of our government going and at the same time keep you all informed.

Tax Levy Update

The Town Board has decided to postpone discussion on the Tax Restorative Levy due to the urgency and immediacy and financial ramifications of our Community dealing with the COVID-19 virus.  Although the forensic investigation will continue into the unauthorized 59% tax levy, now is not the moment to try to rectify this c. $547,000 loss to Town Finances.  We realize that Town other revenues will be hard hit by this Pandemic, including sales tax revenue..but all of us are struggling right now to come to grips with how COVID-19 will impact each one of us financially, so we have put the Restorative Levy on the back burner.

 

The Grange’s Little Food Pantry

Stanford Grange 808 has done an extraordinary service to the Stanford community what began as a project called Our Little Food Pantry. It has turned into a much larger enterprise, with two pantries stocked at all times, as well as a small donated refrigerator.  Citizens in need can simply drive up behind the Grange and take whatever supplies they need, from lentils to oatmeal to hygiene products as well as hand-sewn makes donated by a fellow citizen.  The Grange can always use additional food donations as well as cash infusions.  Checks should be made out to the Stanford Grange 808 and mailed to PO Box 108 Stanfordville, NY 12581

The LFP is a place where non-perishable, hygiene products, pet food and household supplies can be found. It can help those in immediate need and creates and environment of community.  The Stanford Grange needs your help to get this project started so that our community can add one more thing we offer the people to show how much Stanford cares.  A beautiful wooden pantry has been donated, so donations can be made to help the Grange stock it full of goods. 

 

State of the Town Address

Dear Neighbors,

We are 28 days into our new Administration and I feel it is necessary to give you a STATE OF THE TOWN update. Some very wonderful new projects have been initiated, but there is also a matter of grave concern that the current Town Board has inherited that I need to address with you. It  impacts everyone’s taxes and the financial future of our town.

Many of you may have noticed that you received a 59.8% decrease in your Town Real Property tax as opposed to the 10.8% that was reflected in the proposed budget. You can imagine the devastating impact this decrease has on our finances and taxes moving forward.

We are actively investigating, with the help of several governmental agencies and the State and County Comptroller’s Offices, the submission in November 2019 of an inappropriate representation of the 2020 Budget approved by the Town Board. It resulted in an erroneous Tax Levy that has affected all of us, and which has a tremendous negative impact on the future of our Town and its taxpayers.

There are remedies we can pursue and we are already speaking with Marc Molinaro and Greg Pulver at the County Level and other local and state officials as well. I urge you to attend our Town Board Meeting on February 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Auditorium.  We will explain the serious situation we have inherited. Our Town Auditor, Town Attorney, County Legislator and other experts will be there to help answer questions.

It is my deep honor to serve this Community.  We take your faith in our stewardship very seriously, and hope all of you will join with us to rejoice in the progress that is being made, as well as participating with us as we resolve the challenges we now face.

My best,

Wendy Burton, Town Supervisor

Town Finance Update

Thank everyone who crowded into the Town Auditorium on Thursday night to hear our presentation on the STATE OF THE TOWN finances.  I realize that there were many people who could not fit into the room, and I’m pleased to say the entire video of the meeting is available if you scroll down to the middle of this homepage and find the link under the railroad photograph.  I will work with the videographer to move the link to the top of the page so it is more easily found.

The presentation raised as many questions as were answered, though the main focus was to explain how the 10.84% tax cut promised by the last Administration turned into an unauthorized 59,8% cut and I hope our Power Point slide show clarified that process.  You can view that presentation in its entirety at the link below. We are happy to discuss Fund Balance and Financial Controls at another town wide forum.

I  deeply regret that the change in the tax levy, which  impacts the Highway Department’s operating funds as well as the l Fund Balance, has been turned into a political football.  We inherited this budget and with your support we hope to fix it.  Our goal is to serve the community and not to engage in political games.

Thank you for your patience and your support,

Wendy Burton