Farm Share
NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program assists low-income Vermonters in obtaining farm fresh fruits and vegetables. Farm Share participants receive partially subsidized shares from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. In 2009 we had over to 1,400 individuals participating in the Vermont Farm Share Program.
2009 Application
About the Program
NOFA Vermont’s Farm Share Program has been serving Vermont since 1994. The program was begun in response to the increase in food insecure children and adults in Vermont as well as the recognition of the gap that exists between social service providers, seeking food for limited-income individuals, and farmers seeking a local market for their food. The program has grown from serving a dozen individual families and three farms in 1995 to more than 1,400 Vermonters in 2009.
Food Insecurity in Vermont
The Campaign to End Childhood Hunger noted in 2007 that 15% of children in Vermont live in poverty. Nearly one out of every ten households in Vermont is food insecure. Adults in households determined to be food insecure are so limited in resources that they are running out of food, reducing the quality of food their family eats, feeding their children unbalanced diets, or skipping meals so their children can eat.
NOFA Vermont’s Response: The Farm Share Program
Drawing on NOFA Vermont's long relationship working with farmers committed to community food production, we established the program as a way to link food producers with limited-income Vermonters. Each year, the Farm Share Program subsidizes the cost of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares, providing a season's worth of fresh farm products (vegetables, eggs, bread, meat) to limited-income families and children, and seniors (Senior Farm Share).
The CSA is a unique model of food assistance that:
- Encourages the local consumption of highly nutritious, fresh, and diverse farm products, regardless of economic status;
- Supports long-term changes in daily intake of vegetables and fruits because the fresh food is available each week for several months;
- Connects people of diverse life circumstances to the farmer, land, and food they eat through planting, harvesting, and pick-up of products at the farm;
- Supports the agricultural costs incurred by farmers through one-time, up-front, member payment for a 22 week share of the season's harvest;
- Provides fair market value, through direct, farmer to customer sales; and
- Encourages individuals and families to spend their food dollars locally.
The Farm Share Program also provides farm and nutrition education through cooking and food preparation workshops, and provides recipes and other resources specific to the needs of limited-income families. Due to program demand, the Vermont Farm Share Program has catalyzed the development of new CSA's in underserved areas of the state.
Who is Eligible to Participate?
Limited-income Vermonters who meet the income eligibility standard may participate in the program. NOFA Vermont uses the eligibility guideline of 185% of poverty – in 2009, that is equivalent to monthly incomes of $1,670 for a single person, $2,247 for a couple, $2,832 for a family of 3, $3,400 for 4, $3,976 for a family of 5 and $4,553 for a family of 6.
How to Participate
If you are interested in participating in the program, please read the program description and complete the application form or contact the office with questions.
Funding the Program
Farm Share funds are raised annually to subsidize CSA shares through our annual fundraising event, Share the Harvest, held the first Thursday of October. Participating restaurants pledge between 5-15% of their sales on the day of the event to benefit our Vermont Farm Share members. The funds raised from Share the Harvest are used to match what farmers are able to raise through their community and/or their CSA shareholders. CSA share recipients contribute the remaining 50% of the cost of the CSA share.