Last month, we told you about our collaboration with up-and-coming food hub Vermont Farmers Food Center (VFFC) to bring local food boxes to Killington Grand Resort Hotel (KGRH) employees. We talked to Heidi Lynch, Executive Director of the VFFC, about their work and the value and impact of this collaboration. We also spoke to Greg Lang, Executive Chef at KGRH, about the impetus and impact of this project at the hotel. Check out the conversation.
This past June, Andrew Graham, Direct Markets Coordinator at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, reached out to Food Connects about an exciting opportunity. Killington Grand Resort Hotel (KGRH) was looking to set up a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program offering local food boxes to their employees. This project promised an exciting collaboration with partners across Vermont.
Over the past few months, Brattleboro has welcomed Afghan refugees into our community. We have seen community members rallying behind our new neighbors, providing a variety of support services—it’s been truly inspiring.
Food Connects has been eager to support our new neighbors, as well. Some of our staff members have cooked meals, and our Farm to School team has supported efforts in schools to welcome their new Afghan students. And now, our Food Hub has the opportunity to make an impact as well.
At Food Connects, we value inclusivity in our food system. That means access to nutritious, culturally relevant foods and participation in the food system. We believe that individuals should have the right to self-determination and food sovereignty—the right and access to make decisions over the food they eat. If you haven’t had Afghan food before or do not know a lot about it, there are flavors and cultural differences that are crucial to honor. One significant barrier to our Afghan neighbors accessing and cooking traditional dishes was the lack of Halal-certified chicken.
First—what is Halal?
According to the American Halal Foundation, “Halal (also spelled halaal) is an Arabic word that means ‘lawful or permitted.’ It is a term that is used in the Islamic religion in contrast with the word haram (which means ‘unlawful or not allowed’). These terms indicate which life practices are allowed or not allowed for those who practice Islam (Muslims). While halal refers to much more than just Islamic dietary practices, the term is most often thought of when talking about food, drinks, and other products.”
Second—where can you get Halal products? Well, in the case of chicken, there was a resounding silence in terms of local production. So, when the Vermont Foodbank approached Food Connects about sourcing options for Halal chicken, we were on the case. Food Connects worked diligently with Common Wealth Poultry to create a source for this much-needed chicken.
We had the opportunity to talk with Zach Hebert, Associate Manager of Community Engagement: Southern Region for the Vermont Foodbank, about the project to learn more about how this partnership came to be and its significance for the Afghan refugees. We also talked to Trey LaPorta, Wholesale Manager from Common Wealth Poultry, about the process of certifying their chicken. Check out the conversation below.
Tell us a little bit about how this partnership came about.
Zach: A few months ago, back in the thick of winter, when Afghan refugees began arriving in Brattleboro, I had been in close conversations with the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) about ways the Vermont Foodbank could support our new neighbors with nourishing and culturally relevant foods. We took some initial actions, such as partnering with the local Everyone Eats program to make familiar meals and preparing welcome boxes full of familiar foods. As our new neighbors began to settle in our community, one need we continued to hear was a demand for halal meat products. To try to meet that need, several staff members at the Vermont Foodbank started exploring regional Halal meat options that met the scale of the need for our communities across the state.
You can read more about the Vermont Foodbank’s work here.
Why did you decide to reach out to Food Connects?
Zach: Food Connects has been a close partner of the Vermont Foodbank for many years. While we haven’t been a direct customer of its Food Hub until the past two years or so, its Farm to School Team has always played a vital role in improving food security within our local community. The staff there have always been close thought-partners and change-makers for our work.
From a purchasing perspective, the Vermont Foodbank has a strong commitment to working with Vermont and regional producers whenever it makes sense, and it aligns with responsible stewardship of our donor’s donations. Having a pre-existing vendor relationship with Food Connects, after they became a Vermonters Feeding Vermonters partner with us last year, made the decision to reach out to Food Connects around sourcing this product a no-brainer for us.
In this particular format of working with Common Wealth Poultry, this partnership came about after some exploratory conversations between myself and Tom Brewton, Food Connects Food Institutional Sales Associate. Tom and I are close friends outside of work, and it is always a nice confluence of “small-town life” when we’re able to come together to create something where both Food Connects and the Vermont Foodbank can play a vital role in supporting our community. After a few initial conversations, it became clear that there was a mutual interest in sourcing some halal meat for the local community, and that Food Connects would be well-positioned to identify the best producer to do that.
What excites you about this partnership?
Trey: We are very excited to be working with Food Connects for many reasons but most importantly, to be working with people who share many of the same values as the folks at Common Wealth Poultry. Especially those around creating a culture of transparency, honesty, and getting everyone the opportunity to have the highest quality food and to know where it comes from. We love working with people and companies that are passionate about the products they produce and distribute.
Why are culturally relevant and appropriate foods important?
Zach: Culturally appropriate foods are important because everyone deserves to have nourishing and comforting food in their lives. Food is so much more than just calories we consume—it emotionally recharges us, provides nourishment, and acts as a facilitator for equally healing moments of connection and conversation. Everyone deserves food that is appropriate for the culture and the dining room where they prefer to eat and build community. In this situation, where our new Afghan neighbors are dealing with so many unknowns as they enter a new part of their life, this feels like an important step in remaining committed to making their meals that much more accessible and familiar.
Why are you eager to help support our Afghan neighbors?
Trey: We love our Afghan and African neighbors because many of them are included in the Common Wealth Poultry family. Our employees come from around the globe, so for them to be creating food that gets put directly into their culture and community brings us so much joy.
How has access to the Halal chicken impacted your lives (or the lives of your community members)?
Zach: While I can’t speak directly to the impact this has had on people’s lives, I know from how quickly our first order moved out of our warehouse that there is a clear need in the community for the halal chicken. The first “pilot” pallet we ordered has already been mostly distributed to our food pantry partners (and from there on to our neighbors). From the feedback I’ve heard, this Halal chicken has allowed families to prepare well-rounded meals for their families. I can’t speak to the specific challenges of our Afghan neighbors, but I know that transportation barriers are a constant challenge for the folks we work with, so I’m sure being able to access this chicken from the same place they are already going for other foods without having to spend precious time and resources searching multiple stores or locations has been a huge relief.
What did the process look like to become Halal certified?
Trey: We started our Halal slaughter specifically to allow our employees to enjoy the products they make every day. We want our employees to be proud of the work they do and to be able to bring it home and enjoy it with their families, which fortunately leads to a whole new community of people we are able to service.
Food Connects is incredibly proud of this great community partnership as a way to welcome our Afghan neighbors and create a thriving and inclusive food culture in our community. We hope that this story will help inspire you to get to know our new neighbors and support their transition into our community.
Are you interested in working with Food Connects to create Healthy Families, Thriving Farms, and Connected Communities? Reach out to us at info@foodconnects.org on ways we can work together.
Photos courtesy of Common Wealth Poultry.
The Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition (MFCC), Food Connects, and the Monadnock Food Coop have joined forces to develop a "Local Food STAR Restaurant" campaign in our region. The goal of the marketing campaign is to connect the public with the finest farm-to-table dining experience in our region, as well as infuse much-needed income into the pockets of local farmers.
Farm to table dining has become the hallmark of communities that support local agriculture, providing rich culinary experiences using fresh, more flavorful ingredients frequently grown in sustainable and ethical ways. "We are very excited to honor Machina Arts Kitchen & ArtBar with our first Monadnock Local Food STAR Restaurant designation," says Roe-Ann Tasoulas, MFCC director. "Machina Arts Kitchen & ArtBar's commitment to local farms and great food is evident to anyone who has the pleasure to dine in this cool, innovative restaurant."
Machina Arts was founded in 2013 by Danya Landis and Rebecca Hamilton to address the need for an art-based cultural experience. "Over the years, Machina has transformed from a homegrown arts collective into a business offering a full-service Farm to Table Restaurant and Artbar," according to co-founder, Danya Landis. "We pay attention to each ingredient that goes into our food and drinks, providing customers with the highest quality and best-tasting food while supporting our local farmers." Chef Jordan Scott continues, "purchasing locally and ethically is a commitment to our local community and economy and we have built that commitment into our business from day one."
A Monadnock Local Food STAR Restaurant sources from at least 4 Monadnock Region farms in one year. Selected restaurants receive a free toolkit of materials—window decals, logos for menus, and for use on social media platforms, as well as other items—designating their business as a STAR Restaurant. Additionally, they will enjoy a feature story in the Monadnock Table Magazine and will be listed as a STAR Restaurant on MFCC's website.
"We hope that this program will incentivize restaurants to purchase from farmers and local food producers throughout the region, increasing the economic impact in our local community," says Laura Carbonneau, Food Connects Marketing & Outreach Manager. Food Connects works with restaurants throughout the region to help them purchase source-identified local food.
Machina Kitchen & ArtBar is located on 9 Court Street in Keene, NH. Reservations can be made at 603-903-0011. Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 4:00 PM - 11:00 PM.
To apply to become a Monadnock Local Food STAR Restaurant, contact coordinator@mfccoalition.org.
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Machina Kitchen & ArtBar's mission is to cultivate art and vibrancy through food, gallery installations, design, and experiential events, with a focus on breaking boundaries, exceptional quality, service, ethical sourcing, and community building.
The Monadnock Farm and Community Coalition is a coalition of 140 member organizations that come together regularly to build a sustainable local food system by cultivating community action and building collaboration to implement effective programs, projects, and policies.
Food Connects is an entrepreneurial nonprofit that delivers locally produced food through its Food Hub, and offers farm to school educational and consulting services.
The Monadnock Food Coop is cooperatively owned and operated by people in our community, and exists to meet our community’s need for:
An accessible, community-owned downtown food market
A marketplace that welcomes and connects community
A healthy, sustainable food system
The support of local farmers and producers
Appropriate education and training for the community
A strong, sustainable and improving local economy
As I was growing up I was always thrilled to be able to visit the farm, kick off my shoes, and run through the fields. I loved to pick fresh produce and eat it and help care for the animals. When I was an older child and we were able to move onto the farm, I enjoyed caring for the animals and helping with the gardening. I lived in different places after that but we would try to have a few animals and do what "farming" we could. When I was a young adult I was able to move back onto the Basin Farm and I started working on the farm full time. To me, farming is a great way to care for people. It is a great place to raise a family with good values.
We, at the Basin Farm, are a community of people who work together in everything that we do. We came across the Basin Farm in the early 1990s as we were looking for a local place where we could grow good food for our people. The Basin Farm was historically a dairy farm and was being used for growing feed corn. We went through the Organic certification process and began growing produce along with grains such as spelt and heirloom wheat.
Since our primary goal is in providing good food for our immediate community, it is very important to us to be able to store what we can through the months that we can not be growing it in the fields. This principle is what enables us to have storage crops such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, butternut squash, carrots, and beets all through the winter and into the spring. We save many of our own seeds so that they are locally adapted to our climate and to our specific growing challenges. Nearly all of the varieties that we grow are heirloom (not even organic hybrids) which is a challenging learning curve but is rewarding in the nutrient-dense crops and natural disease resistance that can be achieved.
We like to feed the soil through different forms of re-mineralization such as good compost and leaf compost, several different bio-active products sourced from the sea, along with diligent crop rotation and cover-cropping of various types. We strive to feed the plants what they need which will strengthen their immune system to ward off disease and even harmful pests and in turn, the food will be as good as possible for our own bodies.
Food Connects has helped us to have a place where we could sell some of our "excess" without having to do a lot of marketing. And we appreciate all of the support from the many retail outlets, co-ops, schools, restaurants, buying clubs, and individuals that have enjoyed our products.
by: David Langmaid
The current pandemic has exacerbated inequalities across the board, and the unfortunate truth is that it looks like we'll have to deal with this situation for longer than expected. As such, organizations like the Vermont Community Foundation are spearheading campaigns to serve those who are in extreme need at this time, with projects ranging from supporting small businesses to expanding internet access to poorly-serviced areas.
Community organizations are not just the only people who can help out—everyday volunteers can make huge impacts in their own communities. And because everyone needs food to survive, addressing this need is the perfect way for people to get involved. Keep reading below for five ways you can help serve your community through food.
Organizing a food drive is one of the most meaningful things you can do at this time. You can choose to partner with local vendors who may want to donate some of their produce or food items, but you can also just reach out to fellow neighbors and see if they'd like to pitch in and buy some groceries for those in need. These food drives can include some fresh produce, canned goods, and staples like bread or rice. From there, you can spend a day or two packing care boxes that you can then distribute to families across the area.
You might not have enough time to organize your own food drive, so it's worth talking to your local food banks and seeing if they need your help. See if you can carve out a bit of time per week to volunteer. Whether it's helping sort out food or delivering the items to people in need, it's important to find out ways that you can help out on a regular basis. After all, volunteering is all about consistency.
Once you get enough volunteers to both source groceries and prepare meals, organizing a soup kitchen should be relatively easy. The key to feeding lots of people great food is relying on the right equipment like rice cookers: quality makers are extremely versatile, as is rice itself. Today's rice cookers can also keep your food warm for long stretches of time, allowing you to serve more people. From rice pudding to home-cooked meals on top of rice, these filling dishes will be more than appreciated by those in need.
People are looking for new hobbies to try out during quarantine, so why not try urban farming? A lot of love and labor goes into growing the produce we enjoy, and establishing urban farms allows you to see just how much work goes into growing crops. Again, partnering with local farmers also shows them that you value their work and are interested in finding ways that you can help them out too.
A report by WCAX-TV notes that local restaurants getting ready to open up and accept patrons again, but these efforts will only be successful if there are customers to patronize them in the first place. If you're unwilling to risk going outside and dining in, lots of restaurants are also opening up takeaway services that you can also avail of. Showing continued support for local restaurants will encourage even more of them to open up again.
Food insecurity is a problem that's been around even prior to the pandemic, so it's no surprise that families who were having a hard time before are struggling even more now. Trying out any of these five solutions can help address this problem in a community-centered way. Food is the way to the heart, and so it's also a way to extend your care to people in need.