Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Douglas Willhite" <drwillhite@earthlink.net>]

Phyllis Snow is our neighbor and friend from nearby Sunshine Summit. Her daughter, Theresa, sounds like kind of a saint! Passing this along in the spirit of the season. Merry Christmas to all!

Doug

 

From: Phyllis Snow

Subject: Salvation Farms

Greetings

You may be interested in the existence of "Salvation Farms," which Rick's youngest daughter, Theresa Snow, founded and is director. Her mission is to harvest excess farm produce, making it available to Vermonters in need. It is non profit citizen-based project in Wolcott, Vermont. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) serves as their fiscal sponsor and advisor. They are a cost free resource available to farmers and food sites, providing volunteer crews and distribution of produce donations through the gleaning harvests. Salvation Farms considers "Vermonters in need" to include those who are food insecure and/or nutritionally insecure.

Through collaboration with Vermont-based non-profit organizations, Salvation Farms is working to create a model that can be implemented and maintained by any community. This will remedy the lack of fresh produce available at food sites serving the nutritionally and food insecure in Vermont.

Hunger and Food Loss: The united states produces 356 billion pounds of food annually. Of this annual total, 96 billion pounds, equivalent to 27 percent of the American food supply, is lost between production and consumption every year (Kantor et al. 1997). The 96 billion pounds of wasted food could easily feed the 38 million people considered food-insecure in America (Nord et al. 2004). Vermont, with an 8.9 percent food insecurity rate, has 55,000 residents who classify as food insecure (State of the States 2005).

Rick and I are so proud of Theresa and her concept of gleaning harvest, who from conception to fruition, has helped so many people without accolades or fanfare. Salvation Farms is located in Wolcott, VT., 05680, (802) 888-5055, and for interesting and more information as part of the holiday spirit, I invite anyone to go to the web site www.salvationfarms.org for additional information, if not for inspiration of some relatively obscure people who are daily and seasonally helping not only farmers and growers, but for those with food issue needs.

Blessed Be

Phyllis