By Eagle Times Staff
Brattleboro, VT — Food Connects has unveiled a $1 million campaign to expand its regional food distribution network.
The campaign seeks to expand Food Connects regional food distribution network and foster sustainable growth in the local food system.
The organization initiated the $1 million campaign in 2022 to add 10,000 square feet of food storage to increase the region’s access to fresh, nutrient-dense, local food and help small and emerging farms and food businesses access food storage and wholesale distribution. With the ability to store and distribute food on a larger scale, Food Connects will connect more farmers with wholesale buyers, including schools, hospitals, and restaurants, increasing access to local food and supporting the local economy.
Food Connects has already raised $700,000, toward its campaign goal.
A match challenge is now underway in which a donor has pledged to contribute a $25,000 matching gift if Food Connects can secure $25,000 from donors by the end of the summer.
“When we invest in our schools and purchase local food, the entire local economy benefits, said Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets Anson Tebbets.
“For each dollar we spend on local food for Farm To School, $1.60 is recirculated into the Vermont economy.”
More than 100 Vermont farms sell to schools and early childhood programs, Tebbets said.
“Local food purchases are helping farmers succeed and sustain the working landscape.”
Food Connects has secured $200,000 from U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
With the launch of the public campaign, the group aims to raise the remaining $300,000 through foundation grants, individual contributions, and corporate gifts.
Food Connect’s Food Hub aggregates and delivers from more than 125 regional farms and food producers to over 280 buyers in southeast Vermont, southwest New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts.
This summer, the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union will spend $50,000 with the group for meal boxes during the summer break.
For more information or to donate to the Food Connects Capital Campaign, go to www.foodconnects.org/donate.
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