Focus Groups @ Harlow Farm Stand

(Please Note the New Time.)

LOCAL FOOD MATTERS :

A Feasibility Study for Growers and Food Makers Begins in the Great Falls Region*

The Great Falls Food Hub (GFFH) and Great River Cooperative (GRC) announce the launch of Local Food Matters, a community-collaboration focused on next steps in creating more resilient food infrastructure to sustain farms and healthy, locally sourced food and food products. Now, with a commercial kitchen, cooler/freezer storage, a loading ramp and a pre-development grant to investigate other ways it can serve local farmers and growers, the project is establishing deeper roots with capacity to better engage the farmers and food makers in the Great Falls region.

Both the GFFH and GRC are now sponsored by Sustainable Valley Group, a regional non-profit organization committed to building a sustainable local economy through education, job expansion and sustainable business development.

Now thru November in Vermont and New Hampshire, we will be sparking conversations with owners of farms, restaurateurs, makers of products that use local ingredients and others invested in improving local food system resilience. Questions will be asked to gather information about priority needs, shared concerns/challenges, emergency preparedness, community food storage/production facilities, access to/distribution of locally sourced products that can be efficiently produced in our region for economic benefit to all. In addition to growers and food producers, the project will engage those who operate food shelves and serve people with limited food access.

The first round of focus groups will be happening at Harlow Farm Stand on Wednesday, November 5. Please RSVP above if you plan to attend. We will have 3 facilitators available to guide growers & food producers in meaningful discussions. These conversations are conducted as a way to guide and focus future development decisions around equipment, infrastructure, business support systems, collaborative potential & structures.

Feel free to reach out to greatfallsfoodhub@gmail.com with questions and for more information.

* The Great Falls Region includes towns and surrounding areas of Springfield, Rockingham, Bellows Falls, Saxton’s River, Athens, Grafton, Westminster and Putney in Vermont; and, Westmorland, Charlestown, Alstead and Walpole in New Hampshire. This land-based, farmer-first initiative encourages all who are impacted by local food systems to join this collaborative effort to improve them.