ACORN has launched a Virtual Farmer’s Market and Online Guide to Connect Customers with Farmers Directly. Customers can pick up orders at one of two locations in the Champlain Valley.
COVID-19 is affecting the food supply chain in unprecedented ways. Supply and demand are out of balance on a global, regional and local scale. Vermont, however, is fortunate to have an abundance of local food producers ready to help feed our community. As a result of the temporary closure of area farmers’ markets, restaurants and schools, ACORN has created an interactive online map that lists nearly 250 farmers and food producers in Vermont’s Champlain Valley who sell food locally. The map will help match folks looking to buy local food with growers who have an abundance to sell.
In addition to the map, ACORN is organizing a virtual farmers’ market to encourage people to shop online using individual producer’s websites. All payment is done online, and orders will be ready for curbside pick-up at one of two distribution sites beginning Wednesday, April 29:
Tandem, 26 Main St, Bristol on Wednesdays 4PM-6PM
Hannaford Career Center, 51 Charles Ave, Middlebury on Thursdays 10AM -12PM
ACORN is moving quickly to get this launched and locations are subject to change. Additional locations in Vergennes and Brandon may be added in the future if sufficient interest is shown by farmers and customers. ACORN will continue to keep its website up-to-date.
All orders will be packed by folks wearing gloves and a mask. Customers will be asked to wait in their cars and roll down their passenger rear window where volunteers, also wearing a mask and gloves, will place their orders. All social distancing measures will be in place. Any orders not picked up within the designated time slot will be donated to HOPE.
ACORN’s new interactive online map lists all of the Champlain Valley farms that sell food locally and is organized by food category.
ACORN (Addison County Relocalization Network) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community organization based in Middlebury, VT whose mission is to promote the growth and health of local food and agriculture in Vermont’s southern Champlain Valley. We are working with growers, schools, businesses and community and statewide partners to increase the consumption of locally-grown food. For more information, go to http://acornvt.org/.
Our members are rightly concerned about the Novel Coronavirus, now known as COVID-19, and have asked how the virus is affecting the Co-op. Here is a list of actions we are taking so far. We will update this list as the situation changes.
Starting June 16th, masks are no longer required at the Co-op. Mask are still recommended for anyone who is not yet vaccinated or otherwise has a health concern.
On June 15, 2021, the co-op ended its Temporary Online Ordering and Curbside Pickup Program, due to decreased demand.
In March of 2021, we installed an electronic gatekeeper at our entrance, to help maintain safe crowd levels in the store. To access this live counter, please click here.
As of Monday, June 15th, our store hours have returned to normal. We are open from 8 am – 7 pm daily. We are reserving the first hour of business for our most vulnerable community members.
We are asking shoppers to please shop alone and limit shopping trips whenever possible.
Starting Sunday, July 5th we require all shoppers to wear a mask while visiting the Co-op. We have masks available for those who need one.
Starting April 19, all Co-op Staff, per Vermont order, will wear masks in the store.
While gloves are not mandatory for shoppers, we do have them available for shoppers at our store entry. We also have hand sanitizing stations at the store entry and throughout the store. We strongly encourage you to use the sanitizer throughout your shopping trip.
Since March 1st, we have been matching all “round-ups” at the register for local food shelves, CVOEO and HOPE
On Saturday, 3/28, we installed protective plexiglass shields at our registers.
Effective Friday, June 12th shoppers are welcome and encouraged to bring their reusable grocery bags. We ask that you please continue to leave your reusable bulk containers and reusable produce bags at home for now. We’ll let you know as soon as we’re able to accept these again.
Starting 3/16/20, our seating area will be closed.
We are increasing our sanitation practices throughout the store.
We are suspending our member worker program for the time being.
We are closing the hot bar and salad bar for the time being.
We are putting all non-essential projects on hold.
All staff who travel outside Vermont are required to follow CDC and Vermont Department of Health quarantine requirements before returning to work.
We have many procedures already in place to help protect the safety of our employees, members, and shoppers—procedures we rely on to reduce the spread of foodborne illness and seasonal colds and flu every year. Learn more below.
The Virus and Food
According to the Harvard Health Blog, it’s not clear if the virus can spread through food. Even if so, it would be highly unlikely. Regardless, health officials cannot absolutely rule out the possibility of transmission from infected food handlers.
Food Safety at the Co-op
The Co-op’s food-safety program is the among best in the business.
Our employees must follow a strict set of standard operating procedures when handling products.
Many employees are ServSafe® certified. ServSafe® is a highly regarded food-safety training program administered by the U.S. National Restaurant Association. Many Co-op employees have the same level of certification as the managers of major restaurants.
Out of care for our community, our practice has always been for staff to remain at home when they are sick. All of our full-time and part-time staff accumulate paid time off to cover sick time.
Supplies
You may have heard stories about grocery stores running out of food and household items as consumers horde the essentials. One of our strengths is that we source from multiple suppliers, many of which are local, and we don’t pull from a central warehouse. Therefore we have multiple avenues for securing products even when there are gaps in availability. This is one of the many moments when we feel grateful to work with so many small, local producers!
Trustworthy Resources
The internet is full of misinformation, and social media channels thrive on hyperbolic language. One of the best things you can do is stay informed with accurate information. We suggest the following, recommended by Harvard Medical School:
Finally, we ask all of our members, shoppers, and employees to partner with us in this. No matter how many food-safety protocols we may have in place, we can’t control shoppers who might come to the store sick or handle packages with germs on their hands. WHO has great advice here on how to be responsible in order to protect yourself—and by extension your community—from the virus.
