Rebuilding the Middle of Our Food System

“We are at this point now where we’re really having to rebuild things, so we start from what’s most immediate, you know what is local and start to work on rebuilding that food system. Very often, in rebuilding that food system it’s something that surprises us. It’s actually the middle of the food system that we really have to start rebuilding. It’s that infrastructure; it’s what happens between farm gate and dinner plate.” - Philip Ackerman-Leist

The Kearsarge Food Hub’s 4th Annual Love Local Event brought together a diverse group of food system advocates, farmers, and community leaders to explore the challenges and opportunities in rebuilding local food systems. A key message emerged throughout the discussion: rebuilding the “middle” of our food system is critical. This middle space is where infrastructure often breaks down, and it’s where the greatest need for innovation and investment lies.

The event highlighted the importance of connecting producers and consumers more effectively, addressing gaps in food distribution, and creating the infrastructure necessary to make local food more accessible to all.

The "middle" of the food system is often overlooked, but it plays a pivotal role in getting food from farmers to consumers. As we continue to build these connections, there is a growing recognition that food hubs and middle infrastructure must be at the heart of the solution.

A central theme at the Love Local discussion was non-profit organizations and food hubs' role in supporting local businesses. In a video highlighting Food Connects, Executive Director Richard Berkfield, a long-time advocate for food systems change, shared his passion for seeing direct benefits to local communities. “What drives me is knowing that this is the right thing to do for us all,” he said. Food Hub Director McKenna Hayes shared a reminder Richard has stated many times over the years: “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good.” While we know food systems change is complex, every step forward counts.

Equity and access were also major topics of conversation, especially for immigrant and new American farmers. Fresh Start Farms, for example, has been working for nearly 20 years to help immigrant farmers access land, resources, and markets. Through its Fresh Start Food Hub, the organization supports about 40 farmers, some of whom grow food for family consumption, while others grow crops for sale. This work has had an impact on food access, particularly in communities that might otherwise lack the ability to grow or buy culturally specific food. Fresh Start’s partnership with the NH Food Bank helps ensure that culturally relevant crops, such as eggs and African corn, are available in food pantries.

Similarly, the New England Young Fishermen’s Alliance highlighted the challenges facing young fishermen trying to enter an industry that is highly regulated and often difficult to navigate. The Alliance’s work to support independent fishermen, particularly those under 45, to ensure a sustainable future for the industry. 85% of seafood is imported to the U.S. and is not subject to the same regulations as domestic seafood. The Alliance’s advocacy for sustainable practices and industry-backed science is essential for preserving fishing as a viable career.

While the event emphasized the importance of systemic change, it also highlighted simple steps that each of us can take to strengthen local food systems. These can make a big difference in our communities, and remind us that small action can have a big impact:

Shop Local: Supporting local farmers, food producers, and food hubs is one of the most direct ways to strengthen the local economy. Whether it's buying from a farmers market, signing up for a CSA, or shopping at a local store that supports regional food producers, every purchase has an impact. Even spending just $10 more per week on local food could add up to $6.2 billion in annual economic benefits.

Share the Message: Help spread the word about the importance of supporting local food systems. Share stories, videos, and resources with your friends and family. The more people who understand how local food systems work and why they matter, the stronger the movement will be.

Donate to Non-Profits: Many organizations, like those featured in the event, rely on donations to fund their work. By contributing to food hubs, farm support organizations, and community food initiatives, you can help provide essential resources to those who are working to rebuild and strengthen the food system.

Love Your Community: Supporting local food systems is about more than just about money, it’s about nurturing the relationships that make our communities strong, resilient, and sustainable. By caring for one another and investing in our local food systems, we can ensure a better, more equitable future for all.

The insights shared during the Love Local event serve as a powerful reminder that rebuilding our food system requires both large-scale actions and small, everyday efforts. As Richard Berkfield said, “The middle of the food system is missing and needs to be rebuilt.” Whether it’s supporting local farmers, ensuring equitable access to fresh food, or advocating for better infrastructure, each step we take contributes to a stronger, more resilient food system.

It’s clear that the future of food in our region depends on our collective action, within communities and our larger institutional food systems. Together, we can rebuild the middle of the food system, ensuring that everyone has access to healthy, locally grown food

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the Kearsarge Food Hub team for hosting this inspiring event and for including Food Connects as a featured organization. France and Hanna’s hard work, dedication, and leadership in food systems has been instrumental in bringing together such an engaged and passionate community. We are grateful to be part of this collective effort to rebuild and strengthen our food systems.

Lee Halpern Named Rising Star 40 Under 40

Congratulations to our very own Lee Halpern for being recognized as one of VermontBiz’s Rising Stars 40 under 40! Lee's commitment to community engagement and business excellence truly exemplifies the spirit of this award.

Rising Star Class of 2024 Lee Halpern

Nominated by Executive Director Richard Berkfield (Rising Star Class of 2014), who wrote: “Lee Halpern has stewarded Food Connects through immense growth (and growing pains) with a positive, solutions-focused leadership style. He was recently promoted from Business Manager to Deputy Director. Lee has skillfully and compassionately navigated tough situations while wearing both his Human Resources and Financial Management hats. He has improved all aspects of Food Connects’ hiring and onboarding process while also developing a new Financial Management manual. Lee has built strong relationships with all staff members, covering shifts in the warehouse, working on programmatic budgets, project managing a $1 million capital project, and developing cash flow projections. He established the internal systems needed to support Food Connects’ projected growth from approximately $2 million in revenue when he started to close to $4 million two years later, with a projected $8 million by 2026.

Lee brings a positive yet realistic attitude to each challenge we face. It’s safe to say that Food Connects would not be the same without his leadership, hard work, and dedication to the mission and people of Food Connects.”

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Rising Stars initiative, which celebrates young professionals making significant contributions in their workplaces and communities. Over 180 nominations were received, and the panel of judges faced the challenging task of selecting the top 40 honorees. The awards ceremony will take place on November 7th, with the winners featured in the November issue of VermontBiz.

Of the 40 honorees, 24 are women, representing a diverse range of counties across the state. The average age of the winners is 34, with the youngest being 25 and the oldest 39. Lee’s inclusion in this prestigious list highlights his impact as an emerging leader in Vermont.

Thank you, Lee, for all the incredible work you have done to uplift the organization and for your unwavering commitment to making a difference in our community!

See the full list of winners at VermontBiz



NOFA-VT Pizza Social at Miller Farm

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) hosted the first of their summer Pizza Socials at Miller Farm (Vernon, VT), bringing the community together in a fun-filled celebration of local organic farming and food systems. 

The threatening weather held off providing the perfect (albeit windy) evening to enjoy freshly made pizza, cool off with organic maple milk and soft serve made with Miller Farm dairy, as well as sample some of the many yogurt products provided by Stonyfield Farms. Families were also invited on a hayride tour of the farm and to stick around for the 8:00pm milking of the cows.

Attendees included Peter Allison of the Farm Institute of New England, Harley Sterling School Nutrition Director of WNESU and Executive Director of Food Connects Richard Berkfield, who discussed Harley’s efforts to utilize local products and produce a part of the summer meal kits his team distributes throughout the area. Earlier in the day they completed no less than 1400 meal bags which contain 7 days worth of breakfast and lunch and included local dairy products from Miller Farms! 

On hand were members of NOFA staff including Director of Programming Helen Rortvedt, Wholesale Markets Program Director Lauren Griswold, Database & Member Events Manager Katie Robinson, and Farm to School Program Manager Kayla Strom. 

Other volunteers helping throughout the evening included Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership Executive Director Olga Moriarty, and Field Coordinator Abigail Wilson, Journey Away Program Director at Leland & Gray Jessa Harger, and UVM 4H Extension and Youth Agricultural Programs Coordinator Liz Kenton. All of whom were excellent assistants to “Pizza Master” Jeff who stood by the wood fire pizza oven churning out pizzas just as fast as patrons could eat them! 

Tables were set up inside one of the many barns on the property for guests to sit and relax while live music was performed by local group The Hickory Horned Devils, who’s violin player Britt Lundgren serves on the NOFFP board of directors as well as being Director of Organic and Sustainable Agriculture at Stonyfield. There were free activities for kids and families to do and take home provided by Vernon Free Library and Butterfield Library who had coloring pages, bubbles, crossword puzzles, scavenger hunts & sunflower seed packets to support Ukraine. 

Miller Farms has been owned and operated for over 5 generations and has produced organic dairy for the community since 2009. It also is one of the producers for Stonyfield Farms in nearby New Hampshire. Keith Franklin, who has worked at Miller Farms since 1988 with his wife Tina, expressed his pride in his work, and credited owner Peter Miller and his wife Angela for helping guide the farm to where it is today. The family run business includes Peter’s brother Arthur and his wife Judy, their parents Paul & Mary, daughter Abigail, and son-in-law Brandon.

Helen, Peter and Harley all took turns at the mic, addressing why we gathered together that evening and why it is so important to cultivate community resilience around farming and food systems on a local level. Helen directed attendees to fill out postcards which NOFA would be delivering to state and federal officials to raise awareness about the new farm bill The Senate was currently working on, and a push to continue state funding of Farm to Share CSA Cash Crop programs which enabled lower income families to access locally grown produce and products. Helen put it best, “Change begins with relationships, coming together, sharing a meal, sitting under the same roof…during a crazy wind storm!” 

I felt that spirit of change with every person I met, whether they were an advocate, farmer or community member interested in educating themselves about where their food comes from. Having no background in farming or food systems, I expected some of the conversations to be somewhat beyond what I could make sense of. However, each person who I had the opportunity to speak to, shared their knowledge and personal experiences in a way that was approachable, and allowed me to see that I too can play a critical role in shaping the future of food where I live. 

Whether it is advocating for inclusive legislative action, educating the public on the impacts of climate change on farmers, or the importance of incorporating local food into our school systems, Vermont is chock-full of change makers who are in the fight for the long haul. 

Check out the full line-up of summer events hosted by NOFA by visiting their website. 

NOFA Summer Event Series Sponsors include:

  • Candy Family Charitable Trust

  • Conservation Innovation Grants Program at USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Vermont State Office

  • Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement 

  • Forrest and Frances Lattner Foundation

  • Stonyfield Organic

  • USDA Agricultural Marketing Services Transition to Organic Partnership Program

  • USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities

  • Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Clean Water Initiative

By Elyse Morckel

Saying Farewell to Tom Brewton

Sadly, Friday was Tom Brewton's, our lead of Institutional Sales, last day at Food Connects.

We are so grateful for Tom’s contributions to the Food Hub and the Farm to School Community across VT, NH, and MA. And we're not the only ones - Tom was recently recognized as a Southern Vermont Emerging Leader! In celebration, and to send him off with lots of love, we threw him a going-away lunch complete with an award presentation, and pasta by vendor Trenchers Farmhouse.

Since Tom joined us in 2021, he has focused on increasing regional food sales to institutions throughout New England. In VT alone, Tom onboarded 60+ institutional customers, ensuring access to delicious and nutritious food in public & private schools, colleges, hospitals, and senior living facilities.

Additionally, Tom has testified multiple times at the VT Statehouse, advocating for several key legislative initiatives that have increased local food sales in schools. As a result of his advocacy efforts in VT, he has also testified in both MA and NH to support access to local foods in schools. In March, Tom was invited by the National Farm to School Network to co-present alongside the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets to highlight Food Connects' involvement and successes with the Local Food for Schools Program - a one-time program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide local food to schools at no cost.

Tom's impact on Vermont's local food movement, particularly within the education system, cannot be overstated. His work in providing nutritious, regionally sourced food to students has left an indelible mark on countless communities across our state. While he will be deeply missed at Food Connects, we are excited to see the positive changes he will undoubtedly bring to the food landscape of his next destination, Pennsylvania. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Tom Brewton Testifies for Local Foods Incentive Funding

This past Thursday was Farm to School Early Childhood Awareness Day at the Vermont State House - and our own Tom Brewton (Food Connects Food Hub Institutional Sales lead) testified in front of the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry to support FY25 Farm to School and Early Childhood and Local Foods Incentive (LFI) funding.

In his testimony, Tom highlighted the significant impact of these programs on increasing sales of Vermont goods to public schools by offering financial incentives to source local products, overcoming previous budgetary constraints.

Tom noted a substantial year-over-year increase in sales of VT products to VT public schools, crediting the LFI with facilitating these gains. Additionally, Tom shared successes from the Local Food For Schools Program (LFS), a partnership aimed at providing local food to VT schools at no cost, resulting in increased local food purchases and fostering long-term relationships between schools and food hubs.

Other speakers advocating for funding included our friends at Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day), Spaulding Educational Alternatives (part of Barre Unified Union School District), West Farm, and NOFA-VT.

We love seeing members of our team and our community partners publicly advocating for programs benefitting children's nutrition and local agriculture.

You can watch Tom’s testimony and others here:

Celebrating the Public Launch of our Capital Campaign!

Food Connects has so much to celebrate! Not only are we celebrating 10 years of Food Connects, but we also launched our capital campaign to the public!

On Thursday, June 29th, speakers Anson Tebbets, VT Secretary of Agriculture, Food, and Markets; Wendy Harrison, State Senator; Adam Grinold, Executive Director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation; and Food Connects Executive Director, Richard Berkfield gathered in our new warehouse to talk about this critical infrastructure project.

In 2022 we leased 10,000 square feet of food storage space. Throughout 2023 we will outfit this space with freezers, coolers, shelving, and pallet racking. We will hire more warehouse staff and drivers to meet the increase in demand.

We have already raised $700,000 towards a $1 million goal through federal, state, and foundational grants, including $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds through former Senator Leahy's office.

We need your help to raise the remaining funds and get across the finish line!

The Evolution of the Food Connects Fleet: A Journey of Growth and Efficiency

Continuing our 10 Year Anniversary series, here we focus on our Food Connects fleet!

In the bustling food distribution world, an efficient and reliable fleet ensures that fresh produce and local products reach their destinations on time. Food Connects has experienced a remarkable journey with its fleet, evolving from humble beginnings to a robust collection of vehicles. Join us as we delve into the history of the Food Connects fleet and explore the exciting developments that lie ahead.

The Freightliner: A Pioneer on Wheels

The Food Connects fleet embarked on its journey by acquiring the first vehicle it ever owned, the Freightliner. Capable of holding an impressive ten pallets, this mighty truck played a crucial role in the early days of the Food Hub. Tracy Lake, the organization's first full-time driver, dedicated countless hours to maneuvering the Freightliner, even utilizing it as a sorting and staging area before the advent of adequate warehouse space. It was a workhorse that laid the foundation for the fleet's growth.

Before the arrival of the Freightliner, the Food Connects team relied on the generosity of Harlow Farm, borrowing a truck to meet their transportation needs. This temporary arrangement led to memorable and exhilarating experiences, highlighting the determination and resourcefulness of the organization during its formative years.



Mercedes Sprinters: Compact but Essential

Food Connects introduced two Mercedes Sprinters into its fleet to accommodate evolving demands. Although these vans can only hold two pallets each, they are valuable assets, helping us navigate dirt roads when the Freightliner could not. The acquisition of a van in 2018 represented a noteworthy milestone for the Food Hub, marking the organization's first purchase of a brand-new vehicle. A year later, in 2019, another van joined the fleet. In the spring of 2020, coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Hub experienced a significant and rapid surge in sales, prompting a substantial expansion. By May 2020, it became evident that acquiring an additional truck was imperative.


Cab Over Box Trucks: Expanding Capacities

Responding to the need for increased capacity, Food Connects acquired two cab-over box trucks with flat fronts—a Hino 195h and an Isuzu. Purchased during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Isuzu truck provided immediate relief when it was most needed. The subsequent acquisition of the Hino in September 2021 further strengthened the fleet, offering enhanced storage capabilities and reducing CO2 emissions. Hino's innovative dual reefer system, featuring separate frozen and cooler compartments, ensures optimum temperature control for perishable goods. The Hino, the newest addition to the fleet, can hold eight pallets, while the Isuzu accommodates six. 



The Trusty Passat: A Versatile Support Vehicle

Beyond the heavy-duty trucks and vans, the Food Connects fleet includes a reliable Passat, affectionately called the "rescue vehicle." Donated to Food Connects before the arrival of current team members, this 2003 Passat has proven its worth over the years. It serves multiple purposes, from vehicle rescues and sales calls to supporting FTS events and facilitating truck repairs. While showing signs of age, the Passat remains an indispensable asset within the fleet.




Fuel Efficiency and Maintenance

The Food Connects fleet primarily relies on diesel vehicles to operate cost-effectively. With an average fuel consumption of 12.11 miles per gallon, the fleet travels over 100,000 miles annually, consuming 8,471 gallons of diesel. Maintaining and repairing the fleet demands a significant investment, with approximately $20,000 allocated annually for maintenance and repairs. Despite these expenses, the organization remains committed to prioritizing fuel efficiency and longevity by opting for diesel vehicles with better mileage and durability.



Embracing the Future: The Arrival of a New Freightliner

As Food Connects continues to grow, it recognizes the need for further expansion and improvement of its fleet. In anticipation of this, we have arranged to lease a brand-new 2024 Freightliner M2, slated to arrive in early 2024. This cutting-edge vehicle boasts a 20-foot box, providing ample space for transporting goods. The decision to lease represents a significant milestone for Food Connects, marking the first time the organization has pursued this financing option. This strategic move aims to streamline operations and alleviate the burden on the fleet, ensuring that all vehicles remain in optimal condition and contributing to the fleet's overall efficiency.

Each vehicle played a crucial role in overcoming transportation challenges and meeting the increasing demands of the Food Hub. As Food Connects eagerly awaits the arrival of the new Freightliner, the organization embraces the future with an unwavering commitment to fuel efficiency, maintenance, and sustainability. Our modern fleet utilizes numerous temperature sensors, onboard GPS, and multiple refrigerated compartments to ensure food safety at all times while transporting in different temperature zones, as well as providing efficient routing and real-time driver communication. With our focus on sustainability and environmental impact, our newest truck employs hybrid technology, mating an electric motor to an efficient diesel engine–lowering our fuel costs while also minimizing our carbon footprint.

With a fleet that continues to expand and adapt, Food Connects is well-equipped to serve its community, connecting local farmers and producers with consumers while upholding its mission of promoting a healthy and sustainable food system.


Help us keep our fleet on the road with a donation to Food Connects!

Food Connects Celebrates Farm To School Sponsor, Deerfield Valley Real Estate

We love to talk to our local businesses about the work our Farm to School team does in their communities and beyond. Our Farm to School sponsors must align with our mission to cultivate healthy food and farm connections in cafeterias, classrooms, and communities. Our sponsor, Deerfield Valley Real Estate, is a perfect fit!


Deerfield Valley Real Estate is a full-service, locally owned, residential, commercial, and land sales real estate firm located at 183 Route 100 in West Dover, Vermont, home of Mount Snow Ski Resort, Stratton Mountain, and The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain. They provide the highest level of real estate service and maintain a high standard of professionalism by retaining only full-time, experienced realtors. Their team of fourteen agents has over 250+ years of collective real estate experience to assist potential home-buyers with access to a large selection of residential, land, and commercial properties in Southern Vermont. Their agents have proven to be loyal and honest in all transactions and take pride in a deep knowledge of the area to better serve their customers. 


“Deerfield Valley Real Estates’ core principals are providing commitment, passion, and pride in all real estate transactions. We are proud to be a sponsor of Food Connects based on its local focus of providing food from local farms, supplying healthy dietary education, and supporting our school communities with the Farm to School program. Deerfield Valley Real Estate recognizes the responsibility of all of us to help prepare our next generation for a bright and successful future!”

-The Deerfield Valley Real Estate Team



We are so grateful for the support Deerfield Valley Real Estate has committed to provide to our Farm to School program. Their support helps drive our program forward, and we're confident that Deerfield Valley Real Estate will be a Farm to School champion for years to come!

The Evolution of a Food Hub: Celebrating the Growth of the Food Connects Food Hub, Part II

We continue to reflect on ten years of Food Connects and our Food Hub's growth. This blog explores how Food Connect’s Food Hub has expanded from 2019 until today. You can read Part I of our Food Hub history here.

In 2019, we celebrated a milestone with the opening of a new 1,000-square-foot cooler and freezer at our Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC) Business Park location. We hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony where over 50 staff, board members, funders, partners, customers, producers, and family members joined us to mark the occasion.

When Food Connects moved its office into the BDCC’s Business Park in 2017, we knew the space had the potential to help us grow. So for the 2019 expansion, the BDCC helped us identify a space adjacent to our offices. The two organizations had worked together for several years to support workforce development in food systems. Adam Grinold, Executive Director of the BDCC, remarked at the time, "At the BDCC, we are always on the lookout for folks and businesses with a growth mindset. Food Connects is more than just a food distribution company; they are food systems leaders."

With funding from the High Meadows Fund and many individuals and businesses, we raised $200,000 to make the dream of an expanded Food Hub a reality. The new cooler and freezer allowed us to offer wholesale customers, including schools, hospitals, and independent grocers, more options for using local products instead of commodity foods. This increase in capacity also allowed us to build market channels for more producers and consumers in southern Vermont and New Hampshire, the Upper Valley, and western Massachusetts.

 And that expansion came just in time! The COVID-19 pandemic stressed our food system and brought about an environment of urgent, unprecedented demand for regional foods. With empty store shelves, people flocked to farm stands for food! As a result, farmers bought regional products from us to fill their shelves to meet their customers' demands.  Fortunately, our warehouse was equipped to have various products from the region to provide a quality shopping experience. The farm stand trend continues, and we are proud to support farmers' efforts to add retail to their revenue streams. The expanded Food Connects Food Hub made it easy for them to buy a variety of products and feed people in their communities. We leveraged longstanding ties with community producers and wholesale customers to seize the opportunity to meet that demand as we responded to the community’s need for fresh, regional foods. With a small and committed staff, our Food Hub adapted quickly to respond to the ever-increasing demand.

Along with our new expanded cooler and freezer storage space, we added a fourth refrigerated delivery vehicle, hired six new employees, upgraded our inventory and sales software, and began planning warehouse space usage for increased optimization. Designated essential workers, our Food Hub team did not miss a single week of deliveries. Our drivers were on the road and our workers were in the warehouse every day during a global time of fear and uncertainty, motivated by the desire to serve their communities. 

Our food sales doubled in 2020, enabling us to purchase more from our local and regional farms and producers. In 2022, the Food Hub purchased $1,856,450 from farms and food producers in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. 

And, in 2022, the Food Connects Food Hub announced a $1,000,000 expansion project! We are adding another 10,000 square feet of food storage space in the BDCC’s Business Park to accommodate our continued growth and better serve our customers and partners. In 2023, we secured $500,000 from former Senator Leahy’s Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) funds and raised an additional $200,000 from state and foundational grants. For the remainder of 2023, we will focus on individual and corporate gifts to raise the $300,000 left of our funding goal for the project. We are grateful for the support of our community as we work towards our mission of connecting farms, schools, and communities through food. 

If you would like to make a donation to the Food Connects Capital Campaign Expansion Project to Create a Regional Food System, please contact Lissa Harris, Development Director, at lissa@foodconnects.org or click the link below. 

This new 10,000 square foot space will be transformed into cold, frozen, and dry food storage.

Food Connects staff unpacking freezer materials for the new warehouse expansion project.

April 2023 Quarterly Newsletter

April 2023 Quarterly Newsletter

2022 in Review

Food Connects Executive Director Appointed to Governor Phil Scott’s Future of Agriculture Commission

The Evolution of a Food Hub: Celebrating the Growth of the Food Connects Food Hub, Part I

Meet our Farm to School Program Manager—Kris Nelson

Growing Gardens Throughout Windham Southeast Supervisory District

Richard Berkfield, Food Connects Executive Director, Appointed to Governor Phil Scott’s Future of Agriculture Commission

Food Connects is thrilled to share the exciting news that our Executive Director, Richard Berkfield, has been appointed to Governor Phil Scott's Future of Agriculture Commission! The State of Vermont established this commission to recognize and address the critical importance of Vermont farms and local food, and we couldn't be more proud that Richard will be a part of this important work.

Remembering Ward Ogden

We are so sad to share the devastating news that our Food Hub driver, Ward Ogden, passed away on December 28th while hiking with his beloved wife, Maria, in Point Reyes, California.

While Ward has been at Food Connects for just over a year, he was deeply involved in our communities and social and climate justice for many years, and many of us knew him outside of work in varying capacities. Ward was a fierce environmental activist & used his own handtruck for deliveries, which was adorned with a sticker that read “system change, not climate change.” 

Ward was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather and a friend to many. He was a naturally friendly and curious person, often engaging in meaningful conversations with people he had only just met. Ward developed meaningful relationships with the customers and vendors along his weekly delivery routes. Customers such as The Village Roost have previously told us, "Ward is great! We enjoy his visits when he delivers every Friday to us!" Ward was personally committed to serving those accounts and to the mission of Food Connects.

Over the coming weeks, we will take some time as an organization to process this news as the Ogden family takes the time and space they need to navigate next steps, of which there are many. 

All of us at Food Connects will miss Ward terribly and will keep his spirit in our minds and hearts, knowing our work is a memorial and tribute to the man we knew and loved. 

Meet Our New Marketing Coordinator—Kristen Thompson

Food Connects is excited to welcome Kristen Thompson to the team as its Marketing Coordinator. Kristen will work closely with the organization’s Food Hub to improve the program’s communications and increase the promotion of local farmers and food producers. We are thrilled to have her on the team and are excited to share more about her!

2021 Food Connects Annual Report

Hot off the presses: Food Connects 2021 Annual Report!

Food Connects has so much to celebrate! 2021 was a successful year for our Farm to School and Food Hub programs—we saw tremendous growth and have some great stories to share with you. We are so grateful to our community for your continued support for Food Connects and our local food economy. Check out our 2021 Annual Report today!