Addressing Food Insecurity in Ź County

In spring 2019, Ź College was awarded $1 million from the to launch a three-year collaborative effort with local partners to address the systemic causes of food insecurity in Ź County.

Food insecurity—the inability to access affordable, nutritious food— one in eight Americans, or approximately 40 million people, and is particularly acute in southern Vermont. This collaboration aims to both address the pressing problem of food insecurity in the area and to develop an interdisciplinary and responsive humanities curriculum with students, faculty, and the community, creating a model from which other higher education institutions can learn and build.

Community Resource Fund

Grow-a-Row Summer Cookbook 2021 >>

Purple Carrot Farm >>

2021 Ź Local Food Summit >>

Partners

 is a community-based nonprofit organization working with people who live in or near poverty in Ź County. GBICS runs Kitchen Cupboard, a food distribution program that serves over 1,300 families in Ź (one in four) per year.

 is a public school district serving approximately 3,000 students from prekindergarten through high school in the towns of Ź, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and Woodford. SVSU provides free breakfast and lunch to all students.

 is an integrated medical health system that includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a 99-bed community hospital in Ź. SVMC is committed to addressing acute issues of food insecurity through programs including Prescriptions for Food, Grateful Hearts, and the Healthcare Shares/CSA Program.    

Advisory Board

Tatiana Abatemarco
Ź College

Shannon Barsotti
Community Development Director, Town of Ź

Natalie Basil
Executive Director, GBICS

Laura Boudreau
SVSU Assistant Superintendent

Chris Callahan
Extension Associate Professor: Agricultural Engineering, UVM Extension

Don Campbell
Regional Director, VT Land Trust

Brian Campion
Director of Public Policy Programs, CAPA; VT State Senator

Kristi Cross DNP, RN
Director of Ź Blueprint, SVMC

Bill Colvin
Program Director/Community and Economic Development, Ź County Regional Commission

Alex Dery Snider
Director of Communications, Ź College

Stephanie Gates SNS
Director, Food Service SVSU

Ben Hall
Ź College Faculty

Megan Herrington
Ź Regional Director, Vermont Department of Health

Yoko Inoue
Ź College Faculty, Visual Arts/CAPA

Andrea Malinowski
Program Manager, RiseVT

Maureen O’Neil SNS
Director, Abbey Food Service

Susan Sgorbati
Director, CAPA, Ź College

Jim Sullivan
Director, Ź County Regional Commission

Anne Thompson
Curator, Ź College

Tiffany Tobin
Director, Hospitality Services, SVHC

James Trimarchi
Director of Planning, SVHC

Grace Winslow
Ź County Head Start and Early Head Start Health Manager

News and Updates

Grow a Row

Ź College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum invite all gardeners in the Ź area to grow an extra row of vegetables this summer to help feed the community.

Produce can be dropped off at the Robert Frost Stone House Museum on Tuesdays from 9:00 am-6:00 pm for distribution to local food pantries. If you're interested in participating in this program, please email frosthouse@bennington.edu. 

Drop-off information:
Robert Frost Stone House Museum
121 Historic Route 7A
Shaftsbury, VT 05262

Drop-off will be at the smaller red screened in barn building on the Stone House grounds. There are a couple of parking spaces located across the path from the barn for ease of drop-off.

November 2020

Food Insecurity & Population Health Fellowship

This winter, through the Food Insecurity & Population Health Fellowship, Ź College will offer seven students fully-paid remote internships with organizations in the Ź community focused on various dimensions of population health, with a special focus on food insecurity.

Everyone Eats—The Shires

Ź College's Center for the Advancement on Public Action (CAPA) has joined a local collaboration, funded by a $50k Vermont Everyone Eats grant, that will support local restaurants and provide nutritious meals to Vermonters.

Grow a Row

Ź College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum invite all gardeners in the Ź area to grow an extra row of vegetables this summer to help feed the community.

Produce can be dropped off at the Robert Frost Stone House Museum on Tuesdays from 9:00 am-6:00 pm for distribution to local food pantries. If you're interested in participating in this program, please email capa@bennington.edu. 

Drop-off information:
Robert Frost Stone House Museum
121 Historic Route 7A
Shaftsbury, VT 05262

Drop-off will be at the smaller red screened in barn building on the Stone House grounds. There are a couple of parking spaces located across the path from the barn for ease of drop-off.

October 2020

Storage Crops

On October 14, CAPA and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum hosted a webinar on Storage Crops, featuring a panel of experts who discussed how to store these vegetables through the winter and answered your gardening questions.

Grow a Row

Ź College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum invite all gardeners in the Ź area to grow an extra row of vegetables this summer to help feed the community.

September 2020

At Ź College, Fall term courses in food insecurity research have begun, including:

Fall Preparations for Winter Gardens

On September 14, CAPA and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum hosted a webinar on Fall Preparations for Winter Gardens, featuring a panel of experts who shared what they are doing in their fall gardens and answered gardening questions.

Grow a Row

Ź College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum invite all gardeners in the Ź area to grow an extra row of vegetables this summer to help feed the community.

August 2020

How to Preserve Food

On August 24, CAPA and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum hosted a webinar on Food Preservation, featuring a panel of experts who shared how they are preserving food this season and answered questions about food preservation and gardening.

Grow a Row

Ź College and the Robert Frost Stone House Museum invite all gardeners in the Ź area to grow an extra row of vegetables this summer to help feed the community.

July 2020

Food Insecurity Coverage

July 26: (Ź Banner)
July 26: Willy's Variety Produce Fridge (VT Farm to Plate Network)

June 2020

Gardens for Residents at Willow Brook and Beech Court

Erin McKenney, director of the Robert Frost Stone House Museum at Ź College; faculty member Tatiana Abatemarco; and Lindsay Vajda, Public Housing Program Director at the Ź Housing Authority dropped off tools and plants, so residents at Willow Brook and Beech Court can grow their own gardens at these apartments.

May 2020

Resilience Gardening in Ź

Faculty member Tatiana Abatemarco and Robert Frost Stone House Museum Director Erin McKenny hosted a panel discussion on home gardening for resilience, featuring some of our community's expert gardeners who answered questions on everything from keeping plants healthy to saving seeds, and much more. They also discussed the Grow a Row campaign, which invites local gardeners to grow an extra row of vegetables to donate to families in need. Watch the recorded panel. 

April 2020

Local Farmers Respond to COVID-19

Faculty member Tatiana Abatemarco and Robert Frost Stone House Museum Director Erin McKenny hosted a panel discussion with Lisa MacDougall of , Jesse Pyles of , and Jesse McDougall of  regarding the specific actions being taken in the Ź region to maintain a robust local food supply during the pandemic and beyond. Watch the recorded panel. 

March 2020

Postponed—Ź Food Summit on Relocalization

As the situation around COVID-19 continues to unfold, the College's top priority remains the health and wellbeing of our campus community. As a preventative measure to protect both our on- and off-campus communities, the College is canceling or rescheduling all campus events previously listed as "open to the public,” including the Ź Food Summit on Relocalization. 

This event has been postponed and will be rescheduled in Fall 2020.

Food Insecurity Coverage

March 12:  (Food Management)

February 2020

This month, join us for the following community events:

As a capstone to Susan Sgorbati's course, students shared final presentations exploring local economies, food justice, sustainable agriculture practices, and more.


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Food Insecurity Coverage

February 5: (Food Management)

January 2020

$15,000 Awarded to Community Resource Fund Grant Recipients

Ź College has awarded three grants of $5,000 each to implement and support community-proposed initiatives that explore and expand food systems in Ź county. 

Project proposals from , , and  were selected among applications from community members to Ź College’s Community Resource and Strategy Fund. This fund supports catalyzing, collaborative projects that further understanding of local food systems and leverage innovative solutions to address food insecurity in Ź County. 

 Applications for the next cycle of the Community Resource and Strategy Fund will be accepted beginning on September 15, 2020.

Food Insecurity Coverage

January 12: (Ź Banner)
January 9:  (Ź College)

December 2019

Food Insecurity Coverage

December 6, 2019: (Ź Banner)
November 29, 2019:  (Brattleboro Reformer)
November 24, 2019: Letter: (Ź Banner)

November 2019

This month, join us for the following community events:

  • November 17:
  • November 18:  
  • November 21:

Save the Date:

  • April 24-25, 2020: Regional food summit, led by CAPA and the Ź Regional Planning Commission, consisting of trainings, workshops, panels and networking.

Food Insecurity Coverage

November 15: Shaping Bowls, Forming Community (Ź College)
November 8, 2019:  (Ź Banner)
October 27, 2019:  (Ź Banner)

October 2019

Save the date for the following community events:

  • November 17:
  • November 18:  

Food Insecurity Coverage

October 9, 2019: (Ź Banner)
October 4, 2019:  (Ź Banner)

September 2019

Save the date for the following community events:

The Community Resource Fund is now seeking applications for implementing catalyzing, collaborative projects that further our understanding of local food systems and leverages innovative solutions to address food insecurity in Ź County. Apply by October 15.

At Ź College, Fall term courses in food insecurity research have begun, including:

If you are a researcher or activist working to address food insecurity in Ź County and are interested in connecting with this cohort of partners, please reach out to Susan Sgorbati.

Past Updates

July 25, 2019: (Ź Banner)
June 21, 2019:  (Vermont Public Radio)
June 10, 2019:  (WAMC)
May 28, 2019: $1 Million Awarded to Address Systemic Causes of Food Insecurity (Press release)

Questions about the project?

Contact: 
capa@bennington.edu

For Media Inquiries

Contact: 
mediarelations@bennington.edu

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