NEWPORT –A small nonprofit based out of Newport that works with local farmers reached record sales the week of December 9, with over $17,500 in sales.
Green Mountain Farm Direct (GMFD) is a regional food hub that connects over 30 local farms and producers to schools, institutions, restaurants, and grocery stores throughout the NEK.
The program is reaching people who have been negatively affected by the pandemic while providing economic support for small local businesses and farms working hard to produce quality food for Vermonters.
The record sales came from various schools and community institutions, among others.
Brighton Elementary, Charleston Elementary, H.O.P.E. in Lyndonville, Northeast Kingdom Community Action (NEKCA) Head Start in Gilman, and NEKCA – St. Johnsbury Food Shelf were the top purchasers.
Programs and grants such as the Health Equity Grant, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, and GMFTS’s Holiday Basket initiative provided the funding to make many of these bulk purchases possible.
Notably, these are all institutions working to provide healthy, nutritious, and affordable foods to our community members.
The purchases from Brighton and Charleston Elementary School went towards providing its student body with boxes of produce and dairy to take home to their families for the holidays, and NEKCA’s purchases assisted NEK residents facing food insecurity.
Furthermore, local restaurants, such as Auntie Dee Dee’s in East Burke and The Pizza Man in Lyndonville, also participated in this record week by purchasing local ingredients to be included in Everyone Eats, a statewide program that enables Vermonters in need of food to access nutritious meals from restaurants.
In purchasing through GMFD, it creates a closed-loop and community food system, in which the money goes back into the pockets of regional farmers and producers.
Those who benefited from the increased sales this record week include Deep Root Organic Coop, Jocelyn & Cinta’s Bakery, Just Cut – The Vermont Food and Venture Center, Nothin’ But Curd, Champlain Orchards, Butterworks Farm, and Pete’s Greens.
Green Mountain Farm Direct says they plan to keep up this momentum and continue to work hard throughout 2021 to connect local farmers with the charitable food system and fight on-going COVID-19 related food and economic insecurity.
