In 2019, Whole Cities in conjunction with the Newark Community Food System launched the Garden Hours program for Newark partners that were looking for strategic support and one-one-one mentoring from community leaders on food access and urban agriculture issues specific to their organization. In response to feedback from the Newark community, the Garden Hours program is transitioning to Leadership and Business Development training in 2025.
This training will cover grant writing, bookkeeping and business development and will be offered with the support of subject matter experts in these areas. This training will be available first to current Newark Fresh, Healthy Food Access grant partners, then to Newark grant applicants and then to at-large food access/urban agriculture organizations in Newark (on a first come, first-serve basis).
L&BD training will be offered from Q2 2025 through Q1 of 2026, depending on the availability of funding:
| Quarter | Dates |
|---|---|
| Q2 2025 | April 2025- June 2025 |
| Q3 2025 | July 2025 – Sept 2025 |
| Q4 2025 | Oct 2025 – Dec 2025 |
| Q1 2026 | Jan 2026 – March 2026 |
About the L&BD Offerings
Training will be provided in the form of 1- to 2-hour sessions and interested organizations can sign up for multiple sessions, depending on demand and availability. Available offerings include:
Grant Writing:
- Are you in need of guidance with grant writing? Schedule a (free) one-on-one session with Jacqueleen Bido Ed.D. to learn best practices and how to plan and write compelling proposals to help you apply for grants.
Business Development:
- Are you in need of guidance with business/program development? Schedule a (free) one-on-one session with either Tobias A. Fox or Jacqueleen Bido Ed.D. to strategize ways of materializing your agricultural business and program/product development.
Bookkeeping:
- Are you in need of bookkeeping services so that you are in compliance with tax filing and/or grant funding? Schedule a (free) one-on-one session with Julie Platnar to better understand how QuickBooks can help organize your basic accounting needs, run financial reports, and more effectively run your agricultural business.
Meet the Subject Matter Experts
To schedule an L&BD training session, please contact each service provider directly via their email address (provided in the bios below).
Julie Platnar
Expertise: Bookkeeping
Email: juliep@sasglocal.com
Julie Platnar has spent more than 25 years in the financial sector, beginning in Canada as a Telephone Banking Centre Facilities Administrator, then making her way to Florida as a Project Manager responsible for the installation of banks in grocery stores throughout Florida, California, and Colorado. She would then take on a career as a Facilities Manager, which began in the Buffalo/Rochester area in 2003, relocating to New Jersey in 2006 to manage several banking facilities throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In 2014, with a new financial client and new territory, Platnar oversaw banking facilities throughout New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. She now spends much of her time volunteering for nonprofit organizations, including Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc. where she assists with product development and accounts and resource management.
Dr. Jacqueleen Bido
Expertise: Grant Writing and Business Development
Email: bidoisminc@gmail.com
A Newark, New Jersey native, Jacqueleen Bido, Ed.D. earned her Doctorate from Seton Hall University in Educational Leadership, Management, and Policy. She is the founder of Elevate Newark and BIDOISM LLC, which are consulting companies created to empower and help people, their organizations, and the communities they serve to invoke social change. As the Chief Strategy Officer of Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc., she continues to expand her mission through business consultation, program development, grant writing, and the creation of the Garden of Hope in Newark, New Jersey. Bido is also proud to have served her country in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in the United States Navy. She is mother to five beautiful children, who have been her greatest achievement because their mere existence proves the importance of the work she does to make the world a better place for them and all to live in.
Tobias A. Fox
Expertise: Business Development
Email: info@sasglocal.com
As Founder and Managing Director of the community-driven, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc and founder and Facilitator of the Newark Community Food System, Tobias A. Fox have demonstrated collaborative leadership on a grassroots level for ten years. Aside from being a writer and having a decade of independent publishing experience, he is a professional organizer, agriculturalist, photographer, and coordinator of an annual Sustainable Living Empowerment Conference. Fox also conducts various community events, presentations, and workshops on sustainable living practices and assists numerous urban farmers and gardeners with the cultivation of their agricultural space. He also assists with the planting of trees in low-income communities with high environmental concerns. More recently, Fox has expanded his global outreach into the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, the Philippines, and throughout Africa. In part of Newark’s 350th anniversary, Fox was selected by peers for outstanding contributions to the Newark community to be part of the 100 People of Newark. This Newark Project, a series of 100 photographs and on-camera interviews with Newarkers, was produced by the 100 People Foundation in partnership with PSE&G Foundation.
