What is St. J ALFA?The St. Johnsbury Area Local Food Alliance (St. J ALFA) is a Vermont non-profit organization devoted to increasing local food production and consumption. ALFA was formed in 2009 by a group of volunteers excited by the expanding local-food movement and desiring to make a difference in our community. We work closely with local, regional, and statewide organizations throughout Vermont to increase awareness, production, and consumption of local food.
What We DoThe Community FarmALFA manages the three acre St. J Community Farm on Old Center Rd in St Johnsbury. In three years of managing the farm, we have grown hundreds of pounds of food for local families, meal sites and area food shelves. The farm also hosts educational workshops on growing, cooking and preserving fresh vegetables.
Our community garden model is to cultivate the garden space as one large garden. New and experienced gardeners young and old are welcome. Community members are encouraged to donate work time at the garden in exchange for fresh vegetables. VOLUNTEER The farm relies on a dedicated group of volunteers. We host work parties on a regular basis and maintain a roster of independent volunteers who donate their time at their convenience. In addition to planting, harvesting, weeding and mulching there are many other volunteer opportunities. Green thumbs not required! Please contact us if you would like to be notified of upcoming volunteer opportunities at the Community Farm. Visit the farm on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stjcommunityfarm Education/OutreachSt. J ALFA has developed an online resource guide to help people find local food in their communities. We maintain listings for farms, CSAs, and farmers markets in Caledonia County and throughout the Northeast Kingdom.
Our annual Local Food Forum, held every February, brings together local organizations working on food and agricultural issues, as well as interested community members. The Forum includes updates, networking, brainstorming, and sharing of ideas - as well as a local-food feast! Educational offerings are ongoing, and have included gardening workshops held at our Community Farm or other community gardens, film showings, cooking demonstrations, and panel discussions. The Food HubConnecting farmers with consumers is at the heart of St. J ALFA's mission. We assist farmers to reach more customers by promoting farms and farmers markets though our online and printed local food guides. We help facilitate sales, initially through our online farmers market (now closed) and currently by coordinating sales from local farms to local schools.
Thank you to our sponsors:
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Vermont Local Food LinksOur Local Partners
St. J Food Co-op Northeastern Vermont Development Association Statewide Resources Farm to Plate Rural Vermont NOFA - Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture Vermont Fresh Network Vermont Agency of Agriculture Salvation Farms Regional Resources Center for an Agricultural Economy (Hardwick) Rutland Area Food & Farm Link Green Mountain Farm-to-School (Northeast Kingdom) Vital Communities: Valley Food and Farm (Upper Valley) FoodWorks / Two Rivers Center (Montpelier area) ACORN (Addison County) The Intervale (Burlington area) Mad River Food Hub (Mad River Valley) Post Oil Solutions (Brattleboro area) NEK Mindful Parenting |
St. Johnsbury Area Local Food Alliance (St. J ALFA), 490 Portland Street, St. Johnsbury VT 05819
[email protected]
[email protected]
