Continued...Salvation Farms: Sterling Alumni Work Toward Greater Food Security in Our Local Community The produce that Salvation Farms’ volunteers harvest is perfectly good, healthy food that would otherwise get composted, fed to livestock, or tilled into the soil simply because it is not fit for market. In 2004 Salvation Farms volunteers harvested 1,980 pounds of excess salad mix and cooking greens and donate it to the Vermont Foodbank. About 454 pounds of greens were also harvested and donated to local sites such as the Craftsbury Community Care Center and the Greensboro Early Learning Center. In comparison, in 2006, 15,500 pounds of a great variety of greens, vegetables, and fruit were harvested, boxed, and delivered to over 18 non-profit organizations that serve Vermonters in need. And the 2006 gleaning season is not over yet! Theresa, Jen, and everyone who volunteers time or financial support to Salvation Farms is setting a standard for all of Vermont, and perhaps for all of humanity. Theresa explains that Salvation Farms is evolving more and more everyday. “There is lots of volunteer interest, but the biggest struggle for us is funding. We are really good at raising funds and NOFA-VT and the Vermont Foodbank are very supportive, but we just don’t have enough funds.” Our goal is to create a statewide promoted program—we want Salvation Farms to be a model for similar programs statewide. To this end we want to also be able to provide education to the community through schools, farmer’s markets, and festivals. (back to News and Views)