Nourish in the News
BALLSTON SPA – Draw one line at a time. Finish, then draw another line. Then another. That’s what Betsy Seplowitz teaches her art classes on how to draw a mandala. Build on simple elements and repeat. It’s the same model she uses to fight food insecurity. Provide funds for one meal. Then another meal. And another meal.
Through Nourish Designs, her mission-based shop on Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa that she opened in late 2019, Seplowitz has combined her love and talent of creating mandala designs, symmetrical patterns, usually repeating circular shapes, with her need to have a purpose and do “something” beyond just selling her art. Each of her creations, everything from shirts and hats, tote bags and stationery, ceramics and home goods, has her mandala design with a price tag that lists how many meals that purchase will provide.
She first realized the severe meal gap volunteering to help with the BackPack Program at Milton Terrace Elementary School where her children attended. Seplowitz was hit by the reality that as many as one-in-seven students did not know where their next meal was coming from. The backpacks, discreetly distributed to students on Friday with food provided by the Regional Food Bank, might be their only weekend source of nutritious meals.
“It was hard for me to process,” said Seplowitz. “How are they supposed to succeed in elementary school and then succeed in middle school and high school when at age 7 they’re hungry on the weekends? That kind of ate at me.”
“The word Nourish just popped into my head because the art was really nourishing me – making me a better person and I thought I had an opportunity to nourish kids,” said Seplowitz. “I decided any item I sold would provide funding for meals for kids. So a T-shirt for $29 provided 12 meals for children.”
With the Regional Food Bank’s Betsy Dickson, the Director of Children’s Programs and Bethany Stiles, now the Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Seplowitz made sure the funding from products sold would be donated back to the Food Bank. She said she would be thrilled to provide a thousand meals. She hit that mark in just the first month.
“Now I’m at 332,946 meals. I have a board in my window that shows the meals. You have to be specific because every meal matters.”
She said the tags pass on the message of food insecurity. “It’s a question. What are the meals about? Then they flip the tag over – oh, there are kids that need food. So, it raises awareness. We try to educate people that kids need help here.”
20 Outstanding Women: Hannaford Supermarkets and B95.5 are partnering to identify and celebrate women in the Capital Region
March 6th 2023: Betsy is the founder of Nourish Designs. Betsy started by volunteering with the Backpack Program at her children’s elementary school and decided she could do more. Betsy draws mandalas inspired by patterns she sees in nature…waves, petals, shadows, etc. She sells numerous items from coloring pages, to clothing, to ornaments with the mandalas she draws. Each purchase provides funding for nourishing meals for kids in need. Her program has provided over 140,000 meals to children! We are honored to call her one of Hannaford Supermarket’s 20 Outstanding Women!
Thank you to all the Outstanding Women who go above and beyond to make their communities a better place to live! The unsung heroes in our neighborhoods – those women who are already busy, yet find the time to give back in big ways to help others.
Each Outstanding Woman will be highlighted at on B95.5 with her own day of recognition, and will be invited to an exclusive celebration with all The 20 Outstanding Women!
Nourish Designs on WTEN Channel 10: September, 2022
Off the Beaten Path: by Cassie Hudson
To read the Watch the full Story Click Here.
Nourish Designs in Saratoga Living: March, 2022
How Ballston Spa Gift Shop Nourish Designs is Helping Keep Capital Region Kids Fed
It was about 10 years ago that Betsy Seplowitz first began doodling nature-inspired mandala designs as a way to decrease stress. It was about six years ago that she began volunteering for the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York’s BackPack Program, which provides meals to nearly 7,000 food-insecure school children across 22 counties. But it wasn’t until more recently that the Ballston Spa native realized she could marry her two passions to help even more local kids. To read the Full Story Click Here.
Nourish Designs partners with Stewart's Shops for Hunger Action Month - Posted August 29, 2021.
Nourish Designs partnered with Stewart's Shops to spread awareness about food insecurities in the region by creating a custom mandala which was featured in a Stewart's coloring sheet for Hunger Awareness Month.
Nourish Designs on Spectrum News: September 8, 2021
By: Josh Conner
Link to Media Coverage where you can see the complete story on Spectrum News.
Nourish Designs on News10 Albany: March 11, 2021
Ballston Spa woman draws up business to feed children in need:
By: Cassie Hudson
Link to the complete story on News10 Albany | March 11, 2021.
Outlook 2021: By the Daily Gazette: February 25, 2021
Betsy Seplowitz of Ballston Spa has never taken an art class. She has no experience in manufacturing. What she does have is a burning desire to help alleviate hunger in children....
The entire Daily Gazette Article.
The Collaborative Magazine: February 16, 2021
Betsy Phelps Seplowitz never saw herself as an artist, but she found that making mandalas ...
Read the entire article about Nourish Designs in The Collaborative
Nourish Designs in the Saratogian: January 18, 2021
BALLSTON SPA , N.Y. — Local apparel company Nourish Designs is on a mission to nourish area children in need.
Read the full Saratogian Article about Nourish Designs
Nourish Designs in Saratoga Today: January 14, 2021
Ballston Spa - Nourish Designs, an appropriately named small business which calls Ballston Spa its home, creates apparel and gift items featuring original hand-drawn mandala designs by Betsy Phelps Seplowitz.
Read the full Saratoga Today article.
Nourish Designs in 518 Profiles: May 2020
Filling Bellies, Feeding the Soul. Nourish Designs: A business that's all about word of mouth.