NOFA-VT

This spring, NOFA-VT launched the Long-Handled Spoons Dinners, a micro-grant program designed to bring neighbors together to connect, share a locally sourced meal, and explore ways to strengthen their communities.

While the name draws inspiration from the Parable of the Long-Handled Spoons, the idea of gathering around food to cultivate community solutions goes back to NOFA-VT's very beginnings. In 1971, a group of farmers came together in Putney—ostensibly over food—and imagined what would eventually become the organization we know today. They recognized then what we still know now: together, we can accomplish far more than we ever could alone.

When we gather around a table—especially over food grown with care by our neighbors—we remember that we are not alone. We build relationships, deepen our sense of belonging, and recommit to keeping one another fed, safe, and warm.

In late February, NOFA-VT opened applications for the first round of Long-Handled Spoons Dinner micro-grants. By early March, we had received 175 applications. Thanks to generous support from King Arthur Baking Company and The Alchemist, we awarded twenty-eight $200 micro-grants to members in every county of Vermont. Throughout the spring, recipients hosted dinners that brought together neighbors, friends, and community members for meaningful conversations over local food.

Applications came from a wide range of members—from those deeply involved in the organic food movement to others just beginning to explore it. Many applicants shared experiences of isolation or a desire to build stronger networks of community care and support. Others saw the dinners as an opportunity to finally introduce themselves to neighbors they had previously only waved to in passing.

You can read reflections from hosts and participants, along with a recap of the dinners, on our blog:

https://www.nofavt.org/about/blog/what-happens-when-people-receive-200-invite-their-neighbors-over-local-organic-meal

We're excited to share that we've secured enough funding to offer another round of micro-grants this summer. Stay tuned for details!

Together, we're continually building a more sustainable, just, and connected food system in Vermont. Visit nofavt.org/spoons to learn more and find resources for hosting your own Long-Handled Spoons Dinner.

📣 Volunteers Needed!

Our mobile pizza oven is headed to Shelburne Farms next Tuesday, June 23, for the Vermont FEED (Food Education Every Day) Northeast Farm to School Institute, and we need a few helping hands!

Join us between 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. to help stretch dough, top pizzas, and feed a crowd of farm-to-school champions. 🍕

Interested? Sign up at the link below:

https://www.jotform.com/form/261475393278165?utm_source=NOFA-VT+Main+List&utm_campaign=17c6e54833-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2022_11_09_06_56_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8a3617e9f7-17c6e54833-49718890

So grateful to be part of this amazing project and to see the very real impact it's having in Vermont schools!