Join Us for a Discussion – Life on the Other Border…Migrant Workers in Vermont

You are invited to participate in a discussion about the lives of migrant workers in Vermont. The evening will be led by author and UVM professor Teresa Mares, sponsored by Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, and held at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Charles Avenue in Middlebury on Thursday, October 17, 6:30-8 pm.

Parking at the church is limited and you are asked to park in the high school lot across the street.

Teresa Mares, Ph.D, is an Anthropology professor at the University of Vermont. In her new book, Life on the Other Border: Farmworkers and Food Justice in Vermont, she explores the vulnerability and food insecurity experienced by migrant farm workers in our state, and analyzes the inequities, fear and invisibility experienced by those who sustain our dairy industry. She also speaks to their humanity and resilience, and their actions to remain connected to the foods that provide a link to their families and familiar tables south of the border.

What is the reality and life experience of migrant workers and their families who sustain Vermont’s dairy industry?
Learn about the Huertas Project. Huertas means “kitchen gardens” in Spanish and, through collaboration with volunteers and undocumented farm workers, the project promotes growing and preparing food that has cultural relevance and helps alleviate food insecurity.
Become more knowledgeable about the misalignment between agriculture and immigration policies and how these impact our food system.
How can you become involved in actions that will promote greater interaction with these often invisible members of our community, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion?
Explore processes that could alleviate food insecurity and promote access to foods that meet the cultural preferences of Latino/a workers.

Hope to see you there!

Share The Harvest On Thursday, October 3rd

Buy Your Produce on Thursday, 10/3 – The Co-op Will Donate 30% of Produce Sales to Share the Harvest!

On Thursday, October 3rd, 2019 generous restaurants, coops, breweries, and food stores statewide will participate in Share the Harvest by making a donation or donating a portion of their day’s sales to the Farm Share Program. NOFA Vermont thanks these participants and all of the people who ate out or shopped at the participating establishments on this date!

If you own a restaurant, store, brewery, co-op, or other business and would like to be a Share the Harvest participating business, please fill out the form here.

Share the Harvest is a win-win scenario! Here’s how it works:

Eat out or shop at generous participating businesses on the first Thursday in October
Participating businesses donate $ to NOFA-VT’s Farm Share Program
The $ goes to farmers to help subsidize limited income participation in their local CSA
Folks (who might not otherwise be able to afford it) can join their local CSA at reduced cost and receive delicious, healthy food!

PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

DONATIONS

Donations to the Farm Share Program are always welcomed and are accepted year-round. If you would like to contribute to the Farm Share Program, you can do so online or download this form (pdf) to make a donation by mail.

Many thanks to our generous print sponsor for this event: First Step Print Shop. Please consider using them for your next print job!

NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program is a great way that limited-income Vermonters can afford to purchase CSA (community supported agriculture) shares of fresh produce from their local farmers. Donations to the Farm Share Program go into a fund which helps subsidize CSA shares to needy Vermonters. NOFA Vermont believes that all Vermonters should be able to eat local organic food, regardless of their income level, while also making sure farmers get a good wage for their hard work.

Demand for Farm Share Program support is significant. The Farm Share Program is funded by individual donations and by the annual Share the Harvest fundraiser.

If you know of a restaurant or food store who would like to participate in Share the Harvest 2019, please contact Becca Weiss at becca@nofavt.org or 802-434-4122 x 20.

Save the Date for Our Empty Bowl Dinner on 11/9

TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT, BUT YOU CAN STILL MAKE A DONATION FOR THE FOOD SHELVES AT THE CO-OP ANY TIME!

Empty Bowls – Over 25 Years of Fighting Hunger

On Saturday, November 9th, at 6 pm, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op will host our 28^th Empty Bowl Dinner to support our local Food Shelves – CVOEO and HOPE. This will be a small community event, coordinated and attended mainly by very local folks. You may be surprised to know then, that all over the world, at around the same time, people will be gathering for just the same cause. If you are interested in volunteering your time to help out at the event, donating a bowl, or making a dessert, please contact Karin Mott at karinmott@middlebury.coop.

“Empty Bowls” is an international project to fight hunger, personalized by artists and arts organizations on a community level. It was founded by Lisa Blackburn and Art teacher John Hartom in 1990-91 when they joined a drive to raise charitable funds in his Michigan community. Hartom’s idea was to organize a charitable event to give artists and art students a way to make a personal difference. Hartom’s students made ceramic bowls in their high school art classes. The finished products were then used as individual serving pieces for a fund-raising meal of soup and bread. Contributing guests kept the empty bowl.

Today, hundreds of communities hold some version of an Empty Bowls event. Their efforts support food-related charities around the world and have raised millions of dollars to aid in the fight against hunger. Although the sponsors of the events may differ widely – from glass blowers to churches to Co-ops like ours, their goals remain the same:

Raise as much money as possible to feed the world’s hungry people.
Increase awareness of hunger and related issues. Through education, awareness, and action, concerned individuals can change human attitudes that allow hunger to exist.
Advocate for arts education. Nurturing the creative process through the arts enhances the possibility of finding new solutions to old problems.

For 25 years, the Co-op has had the pleasure of collaborating with Middlebury Studio School (formerly, Frog Hollow) to help us pull off this event. Kathy Clarke has been particularly instrumental in coordinating dozens of local potters to create up to 80 bowls for us, each year. In addition, we have enjoyed the generosity of the Middlebury United Methodist Church, which has provided the venue for this event free of charge. In fact, virtually every aspect of our event is possible because of the generosity of local businesses, organizations, and individuals, from the local farms that provide soup ingredients to the local musicians that provide entertainment.

According to the U.S. Census, Current Population Survey, 1 in 9 Vermonters are dealing with food insecurity. This is a number well below the national average, but for 12% of our State’s population, the number is still too high. Please join us this year for our 28^th Empty Bowl dinner and be a part of the effort to illuminate hunger in Addison County.

Cooking With Cheese

Vermont is famous for its cheeses, bringing home a record number of awards at this year’s American Cheese Society Competition, and Emily Fleming would love to remind you that there are so many delicious ways to enjoy these culinary treasures beyond the classic cheese platter. Join Emily to explore the various ways to bring cheesy goodness to your fall meals.