| |
The Saco Valley Food Connections project
combines community food work with education to provide greater food security for
residents living in five semi-rural communities that surround the
farm.
It links food producers and consumers in a common effort to
grow organic produce for the school lunch program, CSA and Senior Farm share
members, low-income residents served by local food pantries and local
markets.
The project supports Maine's Food Policy Development by
improving the community's agricultural capacity and will improve local farms'
financial stability by building relationships between farms, schools and the
larger community.
Infrastructure improvements at the farm, school and community
garden sites will increase the self-reliance of the community to grow food for
themselves.
At least 750 school children, adults and seniors will be
engaged in a community service project that provides an additional 20,000 pounds
of food to the emergency food system each year, and will transfer knowledge and
skills critical to the creation and maintenance of a healthy food
system.
A summer apprentice program will provide life skills,
employment opportunities and personal growth experience for youth who are a t
risk of poverty. The program will inspire youth and adults to be leaders
involving food related issues in their communities and to be better stewards of
the earth. The project is designed to be self-supporting.
Members of the SVFC Council engaged in a long term planning
process will continue to meet to further assess community food needs, monitor
program progress, adjust project goals based on annual evaluation and build
community support to keep the project ongoing after federal funds are no longer
available.
|
