Vital Communities works in partnership with communities across the Upper Valley to realize the future of a food system that is accessible to all community members, supports our farmers and producers, and respects the land on which we grow and live.
We work in collaboration across the food system with schools, community groups, retail and processing businesses, farms, local and state governments, and more to work toward building a more equitable food system for all community members. Learn more about our main programs and other areas of work where we support partners working toward aligned food systems goals. Everyone, from farmers and producers to eaters and supportive community members, can find resources relevant to their interests below.
Can more local farm produce find its way into more institutional dining halls, giving local farmers a steady market for their goods? A test case is being made using that versatile, long-growing, nutrient-rich vegetable, kale. The project aims to connect Upper Valley farmers with a facility to prepare the kale for institutional use, with a…
Children from birth through grade 12 benefit – physically and mentally – from eating nutritious, locally grown food and from learning hands-on about where food comes from and how to prepare it. Many educators at all grade levels want to do more to connect their students to good food and where it comes from but…
Six Upper Valley schools have been starting or enhancing their Farm to School programming this year thanks to mini-grants from Vital Communities! These grants are designed to help schools develop, implement, and sustain projects focused on increasing student connection to our local food system. Thank you to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Wellborn Ecology Fund,…
Passion for schools and kids procuring, serving, and even growing healthy food — as well as appreciating farming and farmers — was high on April 29 at the Upper Valley Farm to School Regional Gathering. Over 40 people gathered in Sharon Elementary School’s mighty “gymeteria” (multipurpose gym and cafeteria), from 19 Vermont towns, mainly in Orange…
Vital Communities is proud of the contributions made by two of our staff! The NH Food Alliance today announced the unveiling of the New Hampshire Food and Agriculture Strategic Plan. A first for the state, the plan will serve as an actionable roadmap for positive change, streamlining our collective efforts to obtain funding, pass policies,…
Farm To School programs need care and feeding! The purpose of Vital Communities’ Farm To School coaching is to foster great programs like this one growing at Thetford Academy. Thetford Academy has long wanted a robust school garden to serve as a teaching lab and provide ingredients for its food service program. To that end,…
A look at the map designed in partnership with Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center, Mount Ascutney Regional Commission, and Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission. The Mount Ascutney Hospital and Health Center’s Food Security Workgroup has evolved over several years to where they are now, but one thing has stayed consistent — the…
Seven Upper Valley schools and early childhood education programs were awarded mini-grants to support Farm to School projects this year! These grants are designed to help schools and early childhood education programs develop, implement, and sustain projects focused on increasing student connection to our local food system. Thank you to the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s…
The setting for the first Guided Quest of the year, on May 18, was Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center in East Thetford, VT. Sixteen people from communities nearby in Vermont and New Hampshire joined guide Eric Tadlock, Executive Director of the farm, on a free, one-hour guided tour of the farm’s Quest, one of…
We follow an Upper Valley high school as it cultivates food and student leadership through a Farm to School program, with coaching by Vital Communities. Last fall we launched a timeline where we invited folks to follow along as our Farm to School Project Manager, Andrew Deaett, co-coached the Barre Unified Union School District’s team…
Farmers, artists, friends, and family joined us Friday, April 6, for an opening reception to kick off the “Portraits of Resilience: Farming In A Changing Climate” exhibition. This educational art show is a partnership between Billings Farm & Museum and the Climate Farmer Stories project at Vital Communities. The show features the original artworks created by…
Want to see the beautiful, original artwork created for Vital Communities’ Climate Farmer Stories project? Last summer, you might have seen some pieces of the Climate Farmer Stories project that toured Upper Valley libraries and other public spaces. This summer you will have more chances to see this beautiful and inspiring view of what farmers…
Vital Communities’ Upper Valley Farm To School Network has funded six projects at area schools and early childhood education centers that will bring kids closer to the process of growing and enjoying wholesome food. Funded by the Wellborn Ecology Fund, these grants help schools, early childhood, afterschool programs, or school-related wellness programs launch projects related…
More than 200 community members joined us at the Farm to Film Fest on Saturday, October 21, to learn about and celebrate regenerative agriculture and local climate farmers. Our day kicked off with some family fun that included setting up DIY time-lapses of growing seeds, exploring the difference between dirt and soil using flour and…
Twelve Upper Valley schools and early childcare centers were awarded mini-grants to support Farm to School projects this year! These grants are designed to help schools, early childhood centers, afterschool programs, or school-related wellness programs with projects related to farms, our agricultural heritage, farm products, food production, or local food consumption at the school. Thank…
Both VT and NH NOFA’s have funds to help farmers The Vermont and New Hampshire chapters of the Northeast Organic Farming Association are calling for donations in the wake of recent flooding and the devastation it caused to farms. These donations go directly into funds that provide emergency relief to organic farmers and NOFA members.…
