Feeding Vermont, One School at a Time

As the Grants Manager for the Two Rivers Supervisory Union in Windsor County, Vermont, I have had the recent opportunity to help develop additional streams of funding for their district wide Farm to School program. It is an awesome venture, especially because I've had the good fortune to work with people like Katherine Jandernoa of Windham County's Food Connects, and Chester's Super Parent, Jake Arace. Like most of us working on behalf of our communities, seeking to improve the quality of life for ourselves, our children and our neighbors too, they are committed, driven, and inspired. Even so, the most impressive and enjoyable aspect of the experience has been the opportunity to observe a program evolving in direct line with the needs of the community.

It is common, in the non-profit community, to "chase the money." In other words, to apply for funds and mold programs according the goals of the funders, not necessarily the origninal goals of that particular organizaiton, and therefore, not always in accordance with the needs of their constituents. This is not only frustrating, but can even be heart breaking, especially for anyone who has a personal investment in the issue they are trying to address. There are a variety of things the non-profit and funding community are doing to try and help reduce some of these inefficiencies and inconsistencies--such as evaluation and assessment models, online applications, and data-driven reporting requirements. These are helpful, all tools that help everyone stay more closely focused on their primary goal: the needs of their constituents.

Another important factor though, is working with people that seem to have considerably little ego. It is easy, I think, for those of us whom are working on behalf of others, earning less and sometimes working more than if we were to purse a career in private industry, to acquire a feeling of self importance. What is it? Not so much self importance, but self righteousness. Like, we have worked so hard, and there are all of these problems, and because we are the only ones paying attention, well, we have to do more and more work to try and overcome this problem, or stand out from the crowd of competition.

I think this kind of an attitude can sometimes blow up the number of programs and services an organization is trying to provide. Perhaps they aren't all needed right here, right now. Perhaps their constituents don't have the time or energy to attend a parenting group, or plant a garden with their children, or take a course in computer skills, or whatever it is that the educated researchers have deemed as the most effective response to the problem. So, I have to say, the Two Rivers Supervisory Union's Farm to School Program includes a great amount of flexibility in its size and scope and ability to tailor itself to each school, each town. It is truly motivated by the right stuff.

Working in this kind of atmosphere makes the whole grant process easier. There is quite a bit of weight on the grant writer's shoulders at times, a lot of responsibility and accountability, but when it comes down to when and how the money is spent, we do not have much authority. This can make it difficult to assemble a competitive proposal, because truly, it is the program that wins the award, not the grant writer.

So, I suppose the message here, is that I truly believe the Two Rivers Supervisory Union's Farm to School Program is headed for greatness! And, obviously, the State of Vermont Agency of Agriculture thinks so too, as they have recently awarded the program with $9,000 through their FTS Implementation Grant Program. As a former CAES and GMUHS parent ,and resident of Chester, I am extremely happy to see this program finally taking hold as it should. It is a true community, grassroots (shout out to Carrie King, Wendy Svec, Jana Bryan, Sara Stowell, and so many others!) effort that is flourishing into a living, breathing solution.

#farmtoschool #grantwriting #vermont #schoolgrants