Top 5 Press Hits of 2020
While 2020 was a difficult year in so many ways, there were rays of hope. Part of what made 2020 a hopeful year for us at Vertical Harvest was that it was the year our work and mission seemed to really break through in the media. Below are our Top 5 press hits for 2020 (in cased you missed them!):
- CNN. Late in the year we were honored to discover that Vertical Harvest, our team of changemakers, and our CEO Nona Yehia were named a CNN Champion for Change in 2020. This award profiles 10 innovators leading the charge to a better world with new ideas and groundbreaking solutions.
- Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien. Early in the year, this detailed feature profiled how here at Vertical Harvest, our unique employment model is creating and expanding economic options and upward mobility for people with disabilities.
- News Center Maine. Our expansion to Westbrook, Maine was profiled on this local NBC feature, which underscored our goal to bring 1 million pounds of produce per year to greater Portland, Maine and surrounding areas.
- Edible Maine. This well-respected food publication in Maine focused on the importance of vertical farming in making cold climate communities more sustainable.
- Produce Grower. We started the year featured on the cover of this well-respected industry magazine, which covered the distinctive architecture off our greenhouse, as well as our Grow Well employment mission.
Keep your eyes peeled for even more coverage in early 2021. Exciting things are on the horizon!
![We sat down to talk with disability advocate, civil rights lawyer and entrepreneur, Gina Kline. Here is what we learned!
🔍What is Social Security Income?
"The Social security system was conceived during a time with great economic inequality in this country. It is part of the very important fabric of the Public Safety Net in the United States and many of the folks that are qualified for Social Security are among the most economically vulnerable Americans and have the most sort of obvious or material unmet needs in terms of healthcare as well."
🗝What are the eligibility requirements of benefits?
"The Social Security eligibility is really a means tested program. Which means that folks that folks are eligible or below a certain income threshold and also have medical needs. There's a medical documentation part of it and a income documentation part of but on balance what it means is that you have not access to a certain level of income and you have disability needs."
💡What are the current issues that individuals face when receiving SSI benefits?
"For a while there is a low current threshold on the amount of savings that people Americans with Disabilities can have at any given time. I believe it hasn't been updated since the 19 early 1980s so that's how it's not it's not chained to the current cost of living with a disability. So, what we have is a community that is searching for viable upward mobility, meaningful work in a world in which so often people are given a Hobson's choice between being able to save and save for a rainy day and being able to access health care and needed benefits and support from these programs."
Watch the full video on youtube linked in our bio!
[Video Description: Female with hair to the side talking to the camera with caption in the forefront that reads "What is Social Security Income?" "Read the caption!"]
#DisabilityAdvocacy #Disability #DisabilityMatters #HumanRights #CivilRights #Leaders #Farming #VerticalFarming](https://verticalharvestfarms.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
