Food & Farm

Identify, include, engage, and connect diverse groups in our community so that our goals and approach are informed by people of all ages, genders, races, cultures, faiths, abilities, educational backgrounds, professions, documentation status, income levels, sexual orientations, and geographic locations throughout the Upper Valley;
Recognize and challenge systemic racism and all forms of discrimination in our organization and community;
Incorporate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all our efforts.

What's Happening

Flavors of the Valley 2021: The Fun Goes Digital!

Flavors of the Valley, the Upper Valley's favorite local food tasting expo, will not be stopped this year! We're moving it to May, with a month-long [...]

Vermont Everyone Eats Hits 1 Million!

On Thursday, April 29, Vermont Everyone Eats, an innovative COVID-19 response program, is celebrating 1 million restaurant meals served to Vermonters [...]

“Light River Junction” Kicks Off May 7 with “Toons and Tones”

https://youtu.be/1CHhlNDazVI The celebratory summer series Light River Junction First Fridays with WRIF kicks off May 7 with a fantastic line-up ca [...]

Putting Your Money to Work Locally

More Free "Local Investment" Events starting April 8! "Market forces" got you down? Does it seem like Big Finance keeps putting resources toward thin [...]

Farm-to-School Mini-Grants Awarded!

Ten Upper Valley schools and day care facilities have been awarded $500 mini-grants to support farm-to-school projects this year! These grants [...]

Crowdfunding Available for NH Projects

New Hampshire businesses, farmers, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, community initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to [...]

Everyone Eats Comes to Claremont

Thanks to a grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Upper Valley Everyone Eats model is crossing the Connecticut River: Vital Communit [...]

The hottest spot in White River Junction this summer? A parking lot!

An underutilized parking lot behind the Hotel Coolidge in downtown White River Junction will become a vibrant, pandemic-safe place to eat, visit, and [...]

Climate Partners Summit Resources

Climate Partners Summit Resources On February 25, 2021, over 70 interested partners and citizens joined the Upper Valley Adaptation Workgroup (UVAW) [...]

“Put Your Money Where Your Life Is”: Reclaiming Our Local Economy

"Put Your Money Where Your Life Is": Reclaiming Our Local Economy Event series focuses on local investment as a tool for rebuilding our region's eco [...]

Upcoming Events

	May 2021
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1 Guided Sally's Salamander Meander Quest Guided Sally's Salamander Meander Quest Starts: 1:00 pm Ends: May 1, 2021 - 3:00 pm More details... Cedar Circle Farmstand Opens Cedar Circle Farmstand Opens May 1, 2021 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm See more details • •
2	3 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit Vermont Organics Recycling Summit May 3, 2021 A week of virtual events celebrating the value of compots and its support of the environment, people, and the economy. https://www.compostingvermont.org/vors-2021 See more details •	4 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit Vermont Organics Recycling Summit May 4, 2021 A week of virtual events celebrating the value of compots and its support of the environment, people, and the economy. https://www.compostingvermont.org/vors-2021 See more details •	5 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit Vermont Organics Recycling Summit May 5, 2021 A week of virtual events celebrating the value of compots and its support of the environment, people, and the economy. https://www.compostingvermont.org/vors-2021 See more details •	6 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit Vermont Organics Recycling Summit May 6, 2021 A week of virtual events celebrating the value of compots and its support of the environment, people, and the economy. https://www.compostingvermont.org/vors-2021 See more details Crossroad Farmstand in Norwich Open for the Season! Crossroad Farmstand in Norwich Open for the Season! May 6, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm https://www.crossroadfarm.com/farm-news-1 See more details Working Together: Cooperative Farming 101 Working Together: Cooperative Farming 101 May 6, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm Learn about different cooperative farming models, their origins, and how to navigate the interpersonal dynamics of farming together. Link here. See more details • • •	7 Vermont Organics Recycling Summit Vermont Organics Recycling Summit May 7, 2021 A week of virtual events celebrating the value of compots and its support of the environment, people, and the economy. https://www.compostingvermont.org/vors-2021 See more details •	8 Deep Meadow Farmstand Opens Deep Meadow Farmstand Opens May 8, 2021 @ 11:00 am - 5:00 pm In Ascutney. https://deepmeadowfarm.net/ See more details •
9	10	11	12 Leadership Upper Valley Session Leadership Upper Valley Session Starts: 12:00 am Ends: May 12, 2021 - 11:59 pm More details... #Farm24VT #Farm24VT May 12, 2021 @ 1:30 pm - May 13, 2021 @ 5:00 am https://farm24vt.com/ See more details School Food 101 School Food 101 May 12, 2021 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Part of the Vermont Farm to School Network Webinar Series for Educators. Link here. See more details • • •	13 #Farm24VT #Farm24VT May 12, 2021 @ 1:30 pm - May 13, 2021 @ 5:00 am https://farm24vt.com/ See more details •	14	15
16	17	18 Crisis Management and Communications for Farms Open to Visitors Crisis Management and Communications for Farms Open to Visitors May 18, 2021 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Farms that are open to the public for direct sales, education, hospitality, entertainment, and recreation may be interested in a series of free online conversations among Northeast producers and Extension agents about what is and is not working for farms inviting visitors during the pandemic. register here. Recordings will be posted on the series webpage, including the recording of the first session, Getting Ready for Pick-Your-Own: Do’s and Don’ts for the Upcoming Season. See more details •	19	20	21	22 https://www.earthwisefarmandforest.com/bookings-checkout/grazing-class-mgmt-intensive-grazing-3 https://www.earthwisefarmandforest.com/bookings-checkout/grazing-class-mgmt-intensive-grazing-3 May 22, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm See more details •
23	24	25 Liability Insurance for Farms Open to Visitors Liability Insurance for Farms Open to Visitors May 25, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Farms that are open to the public for direct sales, education, hospitality, entertainment, and recreation may be interested in a series of free online conversations among Northeast producers and Extension agents about what is and is not working for farms inviting visitors during the pandemic. Recordings will be posted on the series webpage. register here See more details •	26 Get to know the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030 Get to know the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030 May 26, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Wednesday, May 26, 12-1pm: register here. After this workshop, you will understand how Plan relates to yourcommunity or professional work, and how you and your community can use it toadvance that work. The Plan can help you with background research, strategicdecisions, grant applications, and building impactful relationships acrossVermont. The Plan was created with input from hundreds of food systembusinesses, organizations, and individuals, and provides a roadmap for collective action to strengthen our agricultural economy,increase environmental sustainability of our farm and food sector, and expandaccess to healthy local food for all Vermonters. The workshop is open toall but designed especially for local community food and farm advocates. Choosethe workshop time that works for your schedule! We can’t wait to share the Planwith you. See more details •	27 UVTMA Monthly Meeting - REMOTE UVTMA Monthly Meeting - REMOTE Starts: 4:00 pm Ends: May 27, 2021 - 5:30 pm Location: By video conference Description: This is the meeting of the Upper Valley Transportation Management Association. For spring 2020 and until further notice, meetings will be held remotely. More details... Get to know the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030 Get to know the Vermont Agriculture and Food System Strategic Plan 2021-2030 May 27, 2021 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Thursday, May 27, 6-7pm: register here After this workshop, you will understand how Plan relates to yourcommunity or professional work, and how you and your community can use it toadvance that work. The Plan can help you with background research, strategicdecisions, grant applications, and building impactful relationships acrossVermont. The Plan was created with input from hundreds of food systembusinesses, organizations, and individuals, and provides a roadmap for collective action to strengthen our agricultural economy,increase environmental sustainability of our farm and food sector, and expandaccess to healthy local food for all Vermonters. The workshop is open toall but designed especially for local community food and farm advocates. Choosethe workshop time that works for your schedule! We can’t wait to share the Planwith you. See more details • •	28	29 Sunapee Farmers Market Opens for the Season Sunapee Farmers Market Opens for the Season May 29, 2021 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am https://sunapeefarmersmarket.com/ See more details •
30	31 Vital Communities Holiday Vital Communities Holiday Starts: 12:00 am Ends: May 31, 2021 - 11:59 pm More details... •

Go to the Full Calendar

Our
Core
Values

About Us

Vital Communities’ agenda and programs emerge from, and are driven by, regional needs and community interests.

As a neutral convener, Vital Communities brings diverse people and organizations together to devise and implement collaborative solutions.

Vital Communities takes on issues where regional coordination and leadership can achieve results.

Greatest Hits

Flavors of the Valley: Local Farms and Food in May

Photo Gallery

Program NEWS

Spring Salad Made From Anything

I made this colorful crunchy salad on the fly on Memorial Day when the grocery stores were closed for the holiday and my parents, siblings, and out-of-town cousin were on their way over for dinner. I ...more

Kale Pesto

I diligently planted several basil plants a few weeks ago. A few days later a crazy hail storm arrived. Afterwards, my poor basil plants were diminished to nothing but stems. So I replanted. All along, I was motivated ...more

Mastering Perfect Spinach

When my friend Justin opened a restaurant in Maine, I fixated on his strategy to train kitchen staff: cooks would learn the best one or two ways to prepare each vegetable, so they'd be optimally ...more

WAY TO GO! SPRING CHALLENGE

JOIN THE CHALLENGE MAY 1-16 AND BE ENTERED TO WIN PRIZES! Spring is here, so it’s a great time to Get Up and Go! Take the challenge to walk, bike, roll, bus, or carpool May 1 ...more

Launching Year 2 of the Upper Valley E-Bike Library!

Do you wish biking was part of your life? E-bikes can greatly increase that possibility. E-bikes (electric bikes) are like regular bikes but with an electric motor in addition to human-powered pedals, a battery to ...more

April 15, 2021: “Putting Your Money to Work Locally: Investing Clubs 101”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLZ7akjtGw Interested in investing locally but don’t want to do it alone? Investment clubs pool money to collectively invest in local businesses and bring a social aspect to the process – they make investment fun! In this ...more

April 8: "Investing in Home Creation"

Investing for Home Creation Thursday, April 8, 5:30 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwM8Z2FD3Q The Upper Valley faces a shortage of housing, particularly in the lower-cost sector, that's affecting our ability to be a vibrant, equitable community. This session discussed how even ...more

Valley Quests Open May 1—including a Guided Event to a Vernal Pool!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, May 1: It's a big one for Valley Quests! Not only is May 1 Opening Day for Quests—"treasure hunts" that share the natural and cultural history of 160+ special areas in ...more

Have an Idea That Could Use a Lift?

New Hampshire Businesses, Farmers, Entrepreneurs, Nonprofits, Community Initiatives: Do you have an incredible project just waiting to happen? Want to grow your organization, our community, and the local economy, but don’t have access to capital? The Local Crowd ...more

Find Open Local Businesses and Farms. Search the Vital Communities Guide.

Our Mission