© 2025 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Give Now
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
STAND WITH PUBLIC MEDIA | PROTECTMYPUBLICMEDIA.ORG
What’s Next?

Rooted in Resilience: Providence Farm Collective’s New Challenge

Published May 5, 2025 at 10:00 AM EDT
Ways To Subscribe

On today’s episode, we speak with Providence Farm Collective; the only nonprofit in Western New York that directly supports communities with access to rural farmland, farming and business education, technical assistance, markets, and the opportunity to farm for income. Recently, the organization received unexpected news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture: a grant contract has been terminated just as the growing season begins. Jay Moran sits down with Hamadi Ali, Markets Manager at Providence Farm Collective, and Executive Director Kristen Heltman-Weiss to discuss the impact of this development—not only on the organization, but on the communities they serve.

What's Next? 2025
Stay Connected
Latest Episodes
  • Producer's Picks of the Week featuring Poetry Conversation, Nina and Terry Heard, Dr. Doretha Williams, and Terry Alford
    On this edition of Producer's Pick of the Week, we revisit three conversations. First, we revisit a conversation on poetry in Buffalo with Aitina Fareed-Cooke, Jillian Hanesworth, Dallas Taylor, and Maria Ta. The four collectively discuss the history and importance of the Poet-Laureate position and how Buffalo poets shape the region's culture. Then we revisit Naila's conversation with Nina and Terry Heard, the founders of Friends for a Better Buffalo and the organizers of the Excellence in Education Awards. And we close out with Saladin Allah's conversation with Dr. Doretha Williams, Director of the Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and Terry Alford, the Executive Director of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor.
  • Sacred Heart’s Day of Sharing & Curating African American History
    On today’s episode, we attend the Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart's annual Day of Sharing. The event this year focused on refugees. The two interview attendees of the event, and dive deep into the workshops that were featured. Next, we discuss an exciting initiative between the two groups that is set to take place in May 2026.
  • Inspiring Excellence: Uplifting Educators at the 6th Annual Excellence in Education Awards
    On today’s show, we dive into the 6th Annual Excellence in Education Awards. The event, which is hosted by Friends for a Better Buffalo, honors educators for their contributions and recognizes their efforts beyond the classroom.
  • Buffalo’s Poetic Legacy: A Conversation with the City’s Poets Laureate
    On today’s show, we bring you a special conversation on poetry in Buffalo. We welcome Aitina Fareed-Cooke, and Jillian Hanesworth, the Poet-Laurate and Poet-Laurate Emeritus of Buffalo.
  • Producer’s Picks of the Week: Justice, Immigration Policy, and the Gender Pay Gap in Erie County
    On this edition of Producer’s Picks of the Week, we revisit three conversations: one with Geraldine Pointer, Terrance Pointer, and James Coughlin, another with Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, and finally Karen King, Cathy Creighton, and Rusty Weaver.
  • Black Buffalo Speaks: Connecting Voices
    Today, we explore the "Black Buffalo Speaks" event, a student-curated Africana Studies conference at Buffalo State University that aims to foster community, conversation, and action, with a diverse lineup of speakers representing various aspects of black culture and history.
  • Acknowledging Barriers: Gender Pay Disparities in Erie County
    Today, we take a look at a report that breaks down the gender pay gap in Erie County as we welcome Karen King, Executive Director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, and two members of Cornell University's Industrial and Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab.
  • Redefining Welcome: The Effect of Federal Immigration Policies on WNY
    Today, we welcome back Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, the Executive Director of the International Institute of Buffalo, and analyze how recent immigration policy changes at the federal level have impacted the region.
  • Justice for Geraldine and Martin: Examining Buffalo in 1967
    In 1967, Geraldine Pointer and Martin Sostre were arrested after being accused of selling drugs and weapons out of the bookstore they operated on Jefferson Avenue. 57 years later, there is still an ongoing movement to exonerate the two of the charges.
  • Producer’s Picks of the Week: Hunger Relief, Women in Construction, and Black Maternal Health
    O this edition of Producer's Picks of the Week, we feature three previous conversations: Dr. Jennifer Roberts and Catherine Shick, Jillian Penkin, and Eileen Kineke.