VITAL COMMUNITIES
Membership
Tangible benefits of membership include:
- Our Welcome Kit, with posters, stickers, and more!
- Regular news and event updates
- FREE listings in our online member directory — a fun, frequented source for locally owned and independent businesses, artists, nonprofits, and farms
- Opportunity to profile your business or organization’s commitment to community and environment
- Member decals, to identify your business as locally owned
- Use of the Local First Alliance name, logo, and messaging in your business or organization marketing
- Collective marketing opportunities with television, radio, print, and online outreach for Alliance membership
- Free or reduced price admission to networking and educational events
Plus, new member benefits and opportunities are added every day! What’s your idea for a better community? We’d love to hear. Contact us today to discuss ideas for new resources or services to make it easier to think local first.
Membership Criteria
For businesses, are you…?
- Interested in and able to buy materials, products and services from other locally owned businesses in the area or broader region?
- Privately held (not publicly traded)?
- Registered in the state of New Hampshire or Vermont, with no corporate or national headquarters outside of the respective state?
- Able to make independent decisions regarding name and appearance, as well as all business purchasing, supply, and distribution practices?
- At least 50% of ownership lives within Local First Alliance’s 69-town service area?
For nonprofit organizations, are you…?
- Interested in and able to buy materials, products and services from other locally owned businesses in the area or broader region?
- Incorporated or fiscally sponsored in the state of New Hampshire or Vermont?
- Leadership (advisory body, board, staff) has autonomous authority over all operational decisions?
- At least 50% of leadership (advisory body, board, staff) lives within Local First Alliance’s 69-town service area?
Local First Alliance Members
Member Spotlight – Jake’s Market & Deli and Jake’s Coffee Company
Member Spotlight- Jake's Market & Deli and Jake's Coffee Company
As you travel around the Upper Valley it is likely that you have filled your b [...]
Welcome Fall with Local First Members
It's autumn in the Upper Valley once again, and Local First Alliance members King Arthur Flour and the Co-op Food Stores make it easy to welcome the [...]
Heat Local First: Lyme Green Heat
When Lyme native Morton Bailey started his business, Lyme Green Heat—a new member of Local First Alliance this year—he was just a guy in a truck [...]
Great Eastern Radio’s Community Cares Project
Local First Alliance member Great Eastern Radio, based in West Lebanon, owns 16 stations spanning Central Vermont, New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, and [...]
Inspiring Positive Community: Village Green Publishing
Guest post by Jen MacMillen, Publisher
The main question we must continue to ask ourselves is, “Why are we here doing what we do?”
When we b [...]
King Arthur Flour Gives Back With Third Annual Bakers’ Harvest Festival
Local First Alliance not only loves to promote shopping locally, but we jump at the chance to showcase members who give back to the community. When yo [...]
Give Back By Dining Out & Save The Date For A Wine Tasting
What’s the best part of Local First Alliance? Our members, of course!
We are constantly promoting our members because they are continually giving [...]
Mud Season in New England
There are two things New Englanders can count on - mud season and taxes. The bright side of mud season is that it means we've made it through yet anot [...]
Update Your Branding, Style and Technology
Now that we're through the holidays, it's time to turn to local service providers to help us fulfill some of those holiday resolutions. Maybe your pla [...]
Reinvesting In The Community
Local First Alliance strives to help our community understand how local, independent businesses benefit the Upper Valley economy. We frequently say th [...]
Our program is underwritten by these community partners
Vital Communities Program News
Herricks Cove
Hey Questers, A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the Herricks Cove Wildlife Festival in Rockingham Vermont. If you’ve never been, it’s a wonderful event featuring local groups such as the Nature Museum, ...more
Ticks and Questing-Be Prepared!
With the warmth and the beginning of Quest season this past month, I’ve dealt will my fair share of ticks. Questing can be fickle. Many of the Valley Quests are along trails, or lead through ...more
Locally Owned Businesses Drive Our Local Economy
The following opinion article appeared in the Valley News last week after the closing of Everything But Anchovies, a local Hanover restaurant that had been feeding Dartmouth and our larger community for 38 years. You ...more
Modern Grange Farmer Partnership
For several years now a consistent topic of conversation among our regions farmers and other food system partcipants is the need for and feasibility of a food hub-type thing in the Upper Valley. The desired ...more
The Hop and Vital Communities Celebrate Rural Traditions
Doggie Hamlet, Thursday, June 29, 4:30 & 7 pm, Dartmouth Green, FREE See the world premiere of a groundbreaking work celebrating rural traditions! This wordless spectacle weaves together dance, theater and sheep dog trials—in which finely trained ...more
The Hop and Vital Communities Celebrate Rural Traditions
The Hop and Vital Communities Celebrate Rural Traditions Doggie Hamlet, Thursday, June 29, 4:30 & 7 pm, Dartmouth Green, FREE See the world premiere of a groundbreaking work celebrating rural traditions! This wordless spectacle weaves together dance, theater and sheep ...more
Next Generation Challenge: Join Us!
Help us raise an additional $2,500 for Vital Communities! Were you born between 1980 and 2004? Know someone who was? We need your help! Through our Next Generation Challenge, your gift by June 30 can be matched up ...more
Closing Remarks for Heroes & Leaders from Markell Ripps
Thank you all for joining us to celebrate the young leaders who are being honored tonight, and thank you to Vital Communities for recognizing their important contributions to our community. It is so important to ...more
Bike to Work Day at Dartmouth College
Bethany and I arrived bright and early at the Hop at Dartmouth College Friday, May 19, to greet employees and students who arrived that morning on two wheels instead of four. The cyclists were met with ...more
Intern Spotlight: Carrie Borowy
Every summer Valley Quest recruits an intern to help us monitor our 170+ Quests. Carrie Borowy joined us in March as our spring and summer Valley Quest intern for 2017. Carrie dove into the Valley Quest program ...more
Meet the 2017 Heroes & Leaders Honorees
Merritt Patridge Merritt Patridge joined the Tuck School of Business in 2015, where she serves as Executive Director of the Center for Business, Government & Society. Prior to Tuck, Merritt worked at The Dartmouth Center ...more
Dirty Hands, Clean Bikes
I had a lot of fun teaching a Basic Bike Maintenance workshop at the Upper Valley Haven on April 29, ably assisted by Lisa from the Haven! A dozen community members and Haven staff gathered for hands-on instruction ...more
Farm to School Forum: King Arthur Flour Bake for Good Kids Program
Join Upper Valley Farm to School Network as we learn how to make the dough! King Arthur Flour Bake for Good Kids Program Kids LEARN to make bread from scratch. Math + science + reading + baking ...more
Spring Into Bike Riding Season...
...with practical skills training to get you riding more! What is Everyday Bicycling? It’s using your bike for those everyday trips that we all make -- grocery shopping, getting to work, or even picking up the kids ...more
Solar Expo in Lebanon 4/1
Solar Installers Expo Hosted by the Plainfield, Cornish, Lebanon, and Enfield Energy Committees Saturday, April 1 at 2 pm Kilton Library at 80 Main Street in West Lebanon (Contact mary.n.boyle@gmail.com for more information and to RSVP) Act now before Net Metering Tariffs change (and PV Solar ...more
Why Weatherize?
Many thanks to our friends at CATV and Emily Gardner for helping our Hartford Weatherize volunteer team film this hilarious video explaining why YOU should participate in Weatherize Upper Valley. Since Weatherize Upper Valley kicked off ...more
FREE Button Up Workshop in Lebanon Oct. 19
FREE Button Up Workshop Wednesday, October 19 6-6:30 pm Refreshments, gathering 6:30-7:45 pm Presentation 7:45-8:15 pm Q&A Kilton Public Library - 80 Main Street West Lebanon Refreshments will be served - no registration required Button Up NH workshops are designed to ...more
Connection, Collaboration & Service
With the graduation of this year’s class of 30 participants, Leadership Upper Valley has trained more than 200 community leaders — from bankers to educators to nonprofit staff and retirees — in its first decade. The ...more
Staff
Nancy LaRowe
Valley Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator
Local First, Food & Farm
Local First, Food & Farm
— Nancy LaRowe, Valley Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator
Nancy joined Vital Communities as the Valley Food & Farm Coordinator in 2014. She works to support and grow our local food system and economy. Nancy has lived, worked, and farmed in the Upper Valley for more than 25 years and believes our community is healthier and stronger when our connections to food and the farms that produce it stay vital.
Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs Hogwash Farm, a pasture-based livestock farm in Norwich, Vt., that focuses on heritage breed animals. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market, and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and, of course, bacon.