2010 Regional Food Systems Grants
Workforce Development
Local Area Community Exchange$50,000
To provide at-risk youth, adults with disabilities, individuals recently released from incarceration, and low-income adults with employment training and skill-building that lead to their participation in the local food economy.
North Country Health Consortium$50,000
To recruit and retain young people in health-related occupations to meet the growing demand for health care in northern New Hampshire. Paid from JMF's donor-advised fund at New York Community Trust.
Vermont Works for Women$50,000
To help female high school students in Vermont gain credits so they can re-enter high school or become eligible for admission to a technical trades program at the Center for Technology. Paid from JMF's donor-advised fund at New York Community Trust.
Food Systems
Center for an Agricultural Economy$25,000
To promote a sustainable, local food system through farm mapping, supporting agricultural entrepreneurs, providing technical assistance to farmers, and promoting the food system model throughout Vermont and New England.
Food Works$20,000
To strengthen a food distribution network that provides universal access to local, healthy foods in central Vermont. Paid from JMF's donor-advised fund at New York Community Trust.
Food Works$15,000
To provide low-cost, fresh, local food to organizations serving low-income Vermonters and build an income-generating client base that enhances Food Works' financial sustainability.
Highfields Center for Composting$40,000
To test a model community composting project that diverts food waste from landfills to enhance soil fertility, improve agricultural productivity, reduce farm operations' negative environmental impacts, and support farmers' financial sustainability.
Strolling of the Heifers$15,000
To provide at-risk youth with summer employment and work experience in agriculture and provide unskilled labor to local farmers.
University of Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese$45,000
To support Vermont's artisan cheesemakers through education and technical assistance that will produce cheeses of consistently high quality and reduced microbiological risks.
Vermont Agency of Agriculture$5,000
To support the 2010 Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, which celebrates Vermont's leading position in the artisan and farmstead cheese industry.
Vermont Technical College$25,000
To support student recruitment and outreach leading to program sustainability and growth through tuition funding. Paid from JMF's donor-advised fund at New York Community Trust.
Vital Communities$25,000
To strengthen local food systems by increasing the demand for and access to local foods and by addressing farm-related challenges through partnerships and collaboration. Paid from JMF's donor-advised fund at New York Community Trust.