As a nonprofit serving Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom region and beyond, Green Mountain Farm-to-School works to strengthen our local food systems and increase equitable access to local foods.
Who We Serve
Farms
We help Vermont farms and food businesses grow by connecting them with local buyers, from schools to co-ops. At the same time, we provide targeted marketing and sales support.
60 farm and food business partners
Schools
We connect students to food through hands-on farm-to-school programs in Northeast Kingdom schools, including cooking, gardening, and farm field trips. We also help schools across Northern and Central Vermont buy more from nearby farms and improve the quality of school meals.
17 school partners for educational programming
75 school partners for local food distribution
Communities
We bring people together around food through hands-on workshops and shared meals across the Northeast Kingdom, building skills, strengthening community, and learning by doing. We also expand access to local food by connecting farms with stores, schools, and community food programs.
11 towns served by community programming
83 towns in our local food distribution network
As we head into the last few days of school, Newport Town School is having a blast with the animals at Coventry Falls Alpaca & Camels farm. Most classes were able to come to the farm, meet and feed the herd of alpacas, the two camels, and learned about wool and fiber arts. 🦙🦙Thank you to Christina and Mary Cobb of Coventry Falls for having us and extending a warm welcome to the students of Newport Town School!
The Lunchbox is preparing to hit the road for its 14th summer season, providing FREE meals to kids and teens ages 18 and under! 🌯🍎🥛
From June 23–August 14, The Lunchbox will make weekly stops from 11 am–1 pm at Leach Public Library (Tuesdays), Barton Public Library (Wednesdays), and Gardner Memorial Park (Thursdays).
Families can enjoy healthy meals, farm-fresh produce, and fun kids’ enrichment activities while connecting with their neighbors and their local libraries and parks. 🍓🎨📚
Link in bio to learn more on our website and sign up for The Lunchbox weekly summer newsletter to stay updated on menus, activities, and special events like our Summer Block Party on June 25th, 3-6pm in Gardener Memorial Park! ✨
This year’s spring after-school clubs are coming to an end already! At Troy’s Garden Club and Orleans’ Junior Farmer Club, students combined hard work and creativity. On sunny days, they cleaned up gardens, weeded, planted seeds and transplanted seedlings, and even acted in farm-themed improv. On rainy days, they made smoothies or fresh butter, did arts and crafts, and learned all about cows. There is so much to learn from the food we eat and the gardens and farms that produce it! 🌱
Our Cooking Club program has wrapped up at Charleston Elementary School. For our last week together, we had a “lasagna challenge” to see which team could pull off the recipe. These lasagnas were challenging indeed - loaded with veggies, it was difficult to hold their shape. But they tasted great nonetheless!
Students were awarded with recipe books, a Certificate of Community Service, and a stipend for their participation in the program. More than 150 meals were donated to the Vermont Department of Health - Newport, @nekca_vt, and fellow students and school staff over the course of 5 weeks. We are so proud of these young people!
THANK YOU to Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets for supporting this program for the past two years!
Last week, Charleston Elementary’s after-school program headed out on an outdoor adventure to explore the school’s nature trail and outdoor classroom! 🌿🔎 Students became nature explorers as they identified bugs, plants, and other discoveries along the trail. To top off the afternoon, we gathered around the fire to roast s’mores together for a sweet ending to a fun day of learning and connection outdoors. 🔥🍫
Troy students are absolutely LOVING these fruit and yogurt parfaits, which feature yogurt from @kingdomcreameryofvermont and GF granola from @westmeadowbakery. The school’s Food Service Director, Marylou, orders in these local products weekly through our Food Hub, Farm Direct. We love seeing Vermont kids get excited about local products!
Students at Charleston Elementary School Cooking Club are taking their skills to the next level, learning all sorts of culinary techniques! Last week, we made scalloped potatoes and maple-glazed ham featuring local potatoes gleaned by @salvationfarmsvt and ham from Brault’s Meat Market in Troy.
Students practiced using a mandolin to slice the potatoes into perfectly even, thin slices. They also learned how to make a roux out of butter and flour to thicken sauces, and a couple of different techniques for basting.
30 meals were donated to Vermont Department of Health - Newport and @nekca_vt for community members in need. The students also got to take some home to their families. 💛
The @vtharvestofthemonth for May is EGGS! Farm Direct is proud to work with Maple Meadow Farm to provide Vermont-raised eggs to our food hub customers this month and every month. Located in Salisbury, Maple Meadow Farm is our go-to source for large quantities of Vermont cage-free eggs and large white eggs. Their hens are treated with extra-special care and fed the highest-quality feed, and their eggs are available in bulk, making them a perfect choice for schools, retailers, bakeries, and more.
In addition to eggs, Farm Direct is featuring another seasonally relevant crop this May: mixed greens. Greens are some of the first fresh veggies to be ready to harvest in Vermont’s growing season, and with so many varieties to choose from, spring/early summer brings salad options galore. This month, we’ll be distributing fresh greens from @joesbrookfarm in Barnet, and Finn & Roots and Stone Creek Farm in Enosburg Falls, to 22 schools throughout Vermont.
We’re grateful to partner with these wonderful local producers!
Pro tip: Cook up a frittata with some Vermont-raised eggs and local greens! 🥚🥬
Farmer portraits by @vermontcorey 📷
Thanks to our generous lead sponsors!
