Upper Valley Farm to School Network

Welcome to the Upper Valley Farm to School Network! The Network is all the educators, farmers and community members working to integrate local food and farms into the classrooms, cafeterias and communities of our region. Our staff is available to help you with your farm to school projects, be they large or small, so please contact us.

Services

Our staff is here to support your farm to school work.

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Resources

Tools for farm to school program growth.

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Member Schools

Network members around the Upper Valley.

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

Farm to School Mini-Grants

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Sign up for regular Valley Food & Farm news and events

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Farmer Discussion List

What's Happening

Visit Our Food & Farm Blog

Schools with Farm to School Projects in the Upper Valley

Each of these Upper Valley schools has a unique farm to school program. Some are as simple as a school garden bed, others involve yearly harvest parties, curricular integration, and local purchasing in the cafeteria. Contact us to get involved, or to expand your own farm to school programming.

Windsor County, VT

Ascutney Basin
Barnard Academy
Bridgewater Village School
Hartford Memorial Middle School
Hartland Elementary School
Pomfret
Reading Elementary
Sharon Elementary
Upper Valley Waldorf School
Windsor State Street School
Woodstock Elementary School

Funding for the Upper Valley Farm to School Network is provided by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation – Upper Valley Region, Jane B. Cook 1983 Charitable Trust, The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, and The Couch Family Foundation.

Orange County, VT

Bradford Elementary School
Cedar Circle Farm
The Newton School in Strafford
Thetford Elementary School

Grafton County, NH
Hanover High School
The Lyme School
The Ray School

Photo Gallery

Funding for the Upper Valley Farm to School Network is provided by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation – Upper Valley Region, Jane B. Cook 1983 Charitable Trust, The Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, and The Couch Family Foundation.

Calendar

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Vital Communities Program News

"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 economy "When the pandemic recedes, we all will be called upon to take extraordinary ...more

Localvore Passport Webinar

Learn how Localvore Passport can help your business connect with customers at an informational webinar, Tuesday, January 12 or Wednesday, January 13! (Attend either event. The same information will be presented twice; Zoom link below). Vermont-based Localvore is ...more

2020 Volunteers of the Year: The Upper Valley’s Mutual Aid Groups

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the Upper Valley, it brought an ever-lengthening list of questions and concerns. Would supplies of food and other essentials hold out? Where would those suddenly without income get help? ...more

Calling for Civil, Inclusive Communication & Interaction: Thoughts on January 6

As an organization that brings people together, bridging boundaries and engaging our whole community to create positive change, we were shocked and saddened by the images that came to us from Washington, DC, on Wednesday. ...more

That's Snow Excuse!

Don't be deterred by wet, cold or snow.  Good times can be had when a-questing you go!  Be sure to search our website Valley Quest page selecting for Season and Year Round to see what ...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

Quest to Refresh Winners!

Congratulations to all the our participants in our Quest to Refresh Challenge!  28 teams took us up on the Challenge to get out and explore our Quests to beat the pandemic blues. Malcolm and Joseph Marchesi ...more

Love your bike ride, even in cold weather

We (Bethany and Mike from the Transportation team) are still riding our bikes these cold dark days, because it keeps us healthy and relieves anxiety! Your bike can offer fresh air, motion, and safe social ...more

One stop shop for VT green transportation news!

Some of our friends in Burlington have put together a super cool online resource called Vermont Goes Green for everything related to green transportation in Vermont — it's an events calendar and a clearinghouse for ...more

Why Bank Locally?

Where You Bank Makes a Difference! When you use a bank or credit union rooted in our community, you're making a conscious choice to support our local economy. Local First Champion member Mascoma Bank is a ...more

Fall Guided Quest in Wilder, VT

Join Vital Communities’ Valley Quest Coordinator Sandy Gmur along with Roy Black, lifelong resident of Wilder and a member of the Hartford Historical Society, on a guided exploration of the historic village of Wilder. Did ...more

Fall 2020 Transit Updates!

Just in time for fall and back-to-school, there are some exciting transit updates from both sides of the river! Tri-Valley Transit (formerly Stagecoach) has a new midday route on the 89er South route. This route connects ...more

Weatherize Webinar, August 17

Weatherize Webinar with NHSaves Monday, August 17 at Noon Did Covid-19 stop your 2020 weatherization plans in their tracks? NOW is the right time to jump back on the weatherize band wagon. Lower energy bills and cozy ...more

Welcome 31 New Upper Valley Change-makers

Vital Communities celebrated the graduation of the Leadership Upper Valley Class of 2020 on Wednesday, June 10. This event marked the program’s 14th graduating class, as 31 local leaders completed the 10-month program with a ...more

Five Inspiring Stories

On March 18, Vital Communities held a webinar featuring five inspiring stories from energy committees across the Upper Valley. Stories included: Electric charging stations in Bethel An Upper Valley eBike lending library Energy saving window ...more

13th Annual Roundtable - September 15

You're Invited! The 13th Annual Upper Valley Energy Committee Roundtable will be held Tuesday, September 15, 5-8 pm in West Lebanon! This annual gathering of local energy volunteers is open to all, whether you serve on an ...more

Stand in Your Circle of Strength and Lead

Ed. Note: On May 30, Vital Communities honored 12 community leaders who’ve added immeasurably to the vitality of the Upper Valley at its annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration. The following are the event’s keynote remarks ...more

Heroes & Leaders: Creating a Vital Upper Valley

Every spring, Leadership Upper Valley, a program of Vital Communities, hosts the annual Heroes & Leaders Celebration to recognize individuals who make significant contributions to the Upper Valley. In 2019, we are pleased to honor ...more

Staff

Becka Warren

Food & Farm Coordinator

Food & Farm

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Food & Farm

— Becka Warren, Food & Farm Coordinator

Part of Vital Communities' Food & Farm team since 2012, Becka fosters relationships that keep agriculture a daily part of community life in the Upper Valley. She works with current and future farmers, businesses, schools, and partners across Vermont and New Hampshire to build connections that support farm viability and keep our landscapes working. Becka lived in Seattle for many years, where she worked for the Washington State University Small Farms Program, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Seattle Tilth, and area vegetable farms. Becka is also a writer, founding and writing Ask Umbra at gristmagazine.com until 2009. She holds a BA from Brown University and lives in Hartland, Vermont, with her family.



Beth Roy

Food & Farm Manager

Valley Quest, Food & Farm

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Valley Quest, Food & Farm

— Beth Roy, Food & Farm Manager

Beth leads Vital Communities' Food & Farm team, including its Upper Valley Farm to School programming, and also oversees Valley Quest. Before joining Vital Communities, Beth worked in the environmental and place-based education fields for 17 years in various positions around New England including at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and as the Director of Education at the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt. She previously served on the boards of the Vermont Science Teacher Association and the Vermont State-Wide Environmental Education Programs, a coalition of dozens of individuals and organizations promoting sustainability and environmental education in Vermont. Beth is a New Hampshire native and lives in Hartland, Vt., with her husband and two children, and serves on the Hartland School Board. When Beth is not working you will find her exploring the woods around her home with her family or cooking up a new taste test (made of local foods, of course!) for her children.



Doreen Guillette

Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator

Food & Farm

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Food & Farm

— Doreen Guillette, Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator

Doreen Guillette joined Vital Communities in January 2020 as the Flavors of the Valley Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Director, with many years of administrative and management experience at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, self-employment, and volunteering. An Upper Valley native, Doreen spends most of her time and energy caring for her mini-farm and a large family in Norwich. She is a strong advocate for local community and is president of the Beaver Meadow Chapel, Trustee of the Beaver Meadow Schoolhouse, and Co-Chair of the West Norwich Community Resilience Organization. Doreen enjoys hiking, kayaking, writing poetry, nature photography, and cooking meals that come from her own land.



Nancy LaRowe

Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator

Local First, Food & Farm

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Local First, Food & Farm

— Nancy LaRowe, Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator

Nancy joined Vital Communities as the 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 a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich. 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 visiting farmers' markets.