We envision a resilient and innovative Upper Valley economy where people have what they need to meet their needs.
Local economies strengthen and sustain the places we love. We support local businesses by sharing opportunities to shop local and reminding our audience of the many benefits of keeping money in our communities. We work with business owners who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to support their businesses and initiatives. We help fundraise for local community efforts that have been excluded from accessing traditional funding sources. We learn from communities that are creatively sharing resources to hopefully support more resource re-distribution in the Upper Valley.
There are many ways to support Black communities during Black History Month. One way is to shop at Black-owned businesses. Along with supporting a local business and thereby putting money into your own community, you are also investing your dollars in a sector of our society that has been historically disadvantaged in entrepreneurship. To learn…
After a brief hiatus, we are very excited to announce the launch of our next The Local Crowd Upper Valley campaign: Building Community Through Food, which will help the New Hampshire-based group Abenaki Helping Abenaki (AHA) reduce hunger among community members, tribal and non-tribal alike. Abenaki Helping Abenaki cider press. Courtesy photo. The Local Crowd…
Multiplier Effect Stimulated $78 Million in Additional Local Spending Westminster, Vt. — Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), the innovative, statewide, $49 million pandemic relief program that increased food security, economic stabilization, and agricultural resilience within a single initiative, recently released an economic report showing that the program also stimulated significant lasting economic impact in Vermont. Between…
Upper Valley Housing: A Complex Problem with Complex Solutions June 2 Public Event Brings Together Employers, Developers, and Advocates Meeting the Upper Valley’s housing needs requires all sizes of development: large, medium, and small. Those small-scale projects are the focus of the Spring Housing Solutions Breakfast, Friday, June 2, 7:30 to 9 am (with…
A new multimedia exhibit shares the stories and portraits of 13 Upper Valley farmers who are using agricultural methods that mitigate and adapt to climate change and help build a food supply that can withstand the impact of climate disruption. “Climate Farmer Stories” opens Monday, April 3, in the Vermont State House Cafeteria exhibit…
The Upper Valley email list(uppervalley@lists.vitalcommunities.org) is one of almost 60 Community Discussion Lists (AKA “liservs”) that Vital Communities provides to the public for free. Starting March 1, 2023, the Upper Valley email list is being replaced by three new lists: events-uv@lists.vitalcommunities.org for one-time and recurring EVENTS, both free and charging admission; goods-uv@lists.vitalcommunities.org for GOODS OR…
After two-and-a-half years and 3.5 million free meals that helped Vermont restaurants, farmers, and eaters weather the COVID pandemic, Vermont Everyone Eats ends on March 31. But the example it set lives on — especially in our region, where the program’s local Upper Valley Everyone Eats hub put a little over two million dollars into…
Did you know that the Community Supported Agriculture movement in the United States was born in this region? Temple Wilton Farm in Wilton, NH, and Indian Line Farm in South Egremont, MA, are both credited with developing the beginnings of the CSA model here in the US in the late 1980s. Since then the CSA…
Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center, East Thetford, VT. By Cecily Anderson. Seeking figurative artists and illustrators to portray local farmers fighting climate change Application deadline: March 1, 2023 Vital Communities’ Climate Farmer Stories project seeks artists to portray innovative farmers in our region whose practices address climate change. Artwork will be reproduced in a…
Support the Karibbean Restaurant’s The Local Crowd Upper Valley Crowdfunding Campaign The Karibbean Restaurant partnered with The Local Crowd Upper Valley to launch a crowdfunding campaign on January 2, 2023. This campaign will raise funds to help business owners Carline Roberge and Balvin Bowen move forward with their vision for a new location. Roberge and…
We’re highlighting the work of our Upper Valley Everyone Eats partners to encourage the community to support the folks and businesses that have been supporting local farmers and eaters in communities across the Upper Valley. Think about purchasing from one of these partners when you look toward holiday shopping, or keep them in mind when…
Be inspired all year by the Climate Farmers 2023 wall calendar – a celebration of farmers whose practices draw down carbon, nurture healthy, resilient soils, and build food security in the Upper Valley of VT and NH, with portraits by Vermont and New Hampshire artists. Randy Robar and Velveeta of Kiss the Cow Farm,…
Grants Help Food Access and Farming Organizations Form Upper Valley-wide Network Imagine all Upper Valley residents having access to fresh, locally grown food — even with the uncertainty of climate change — through a network of community organizations connecting food growers and eaters: that’s the vision of “Food System Resilience from the Ground Up,”…
Droughts & Downpours forum hosted by Hypertherm in Lebanon, New Hampshire on Tuesday, October 30, 2018.Copyright 2018 Rob Strong The changing climate is bringing many challenges for businesses, including extreme and more variable weather, water restrictions, supply chain disruptions, and measures by the government to curb emissions to help meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. How…
Vital Communities launched a crowdfunding campaign to support White River Junction businesses. White River Junction businesses create a resilient downtown that strengthens our village’s character. They have developed a strong, trusted network through years of collaboration on White River Junction First Fridays and, more recently, two-plus years of COVID-19 response. This network is now effectively…
This is the second in a series of portraits of some of the restaurants, caterers, growers, social service agencies, and meal recipients who are a part of Upper Valley Everyone Eats. UVEE is the local hub of Vermont Everyone Eats, a Vermont coronavirus relief program that pays Vermont restaurants $10/meal to prepare free, nutritious meals…
