A Year of Giving

Each year High Mowing donates organic seeds and produce to a vast array of recipients. From school gardens to seed libraries, from food banks to senior centers, our donations have far-reaching impacts across the country. Through our Donation Program schools, community groups and non-profits are building healthier communities, encouraging organic gardening and healthy eating habits, and reducing community dependence on less-than-fresh food with high mileage. High Mowing is proud to donate seeds and produce in three important ways: Seeds Each year we donate thousands of packets of seed to schools, community groups and non-profits all over the country. Through a simple online form, organizations can request a donation of up to four bundles of 25 seed packets each (up to 100 packets!) Each mixed bundle includes a variety of vegetables, plus some herb and flower seeds to provide a well-rounded assortment for any garden project. High Mowing donated over 63,000 packets valued at more than $170,000 to school and community groups in 2014 – a 17% increase over our 2013 donations of 54,000 packets! When we donate seeds, we know that they end up teaching the food system leaders of tomorrow. We know they help create a more peaceful, well-fed world. And most importantly, we know we are investing in the future we want to see.

Harvested Produce One of the best things about working at High Mowing is the staff CSA. From May to October, we have a walk-in cooler overflowing with the bounty from our breeding plots, trials fields and showcase plantings. Our trials crew takes the measurements they need to evaluate the vegetables, then loads them into the cooler. The staff takes home as much as they like, and then the remaining produce is picked up by the Vermont Foodbank, conveniently located right across the street from our offices. The Foodbank works to ensure better food security in our state through a variety of food distribution, training and education channels, with the ultimate goal of ending hunger for the roughly 86,000 Vermonters currently depending on emergency food assistance. The Foodbank hauled away more than 5,900 lbs of produce from our farm in 2014! Gleaned Produce

After planning, preparing, planting, weeding, covering and uncovering, and finally harvesting our crops on the farm, it’s no surprise that the farm crew doesn’t always have the time or energy to harvest everything. And this is true on many farms, both here in Vermont and beyond. In response to this problem of too much food, not enough time, both the Vermont Foodbank and a wonderful organization called Salvation Farms have stepped up to the plate—by gleaning. Salvation Farms’ mission is “to build increased resilience in Vermont’s food system through agricultural surplus management.” Director Theresa Snow and her team of volunteers glean produce from farms that have more produce in the field than they can harvest. They then clean and sort this produce either at the Southeast State Correctional Facility, where inmates give back to their community by helping volunteers process the produce. Now this is where things get really interesting – while smaller volumes are packed at the Southeast State Facility and shipped directly to the Foodbank, food shelves, and community kitchens, the largest volumes are cleaned and packed at the Vermont Food Venture Center, just down the road in Hardwick, VT, where they become part of The Vermont Commodity Program.

The Commodity Program provides low-cost local produce to institutions like schools and hospitals – and in turn, the money they saved by purchasing the Commodity product instead of produce from a distributor goes directly toward purchasing more local food. In this way the Commodity Program doesn’t compete with the for-profit marketplace, but actually supports the purchase of additional Vermont farm product. Salvation Farms is hoping to further expand the program to include meat products and a larger processing facility in the near future. Salvation Farms came to High Mowing twice this year and gleaned over 4500 lbs of sweet corn and acorn squash from our fields. Giving Back It makes us feel great to know that our local communities benefit from the healthy produce we grow on our farm. Our local community helped us grow into the company we are today and is at the core of everything we do. Whether it’s through our Seed Donation Program, produce donations, or even the free Community Seeds box in our front office, giving back when we can is a way of saying “Thanks” to all the people in our community who believed in us and supported us from the very beginning. It gives us great pleasure to be able to “pay it forward” to the non-profits and community groups across the country who benefit from our seed donations. If you’ve received a donation from us, we want to say “Thanks” to you too—your work empowers communities to achieve food security, supports better nutrition, and helps build the food system we want to see. Thank you for all you do! Excited about giving back this season? Here are some fulfilling ways: Register as a volunteer gleaner with the Vermont Foodbank to get email updates about gleans in your area, Send a Holiday Card or Make a Donation Register at the Gleaners Interface to volunteer with the Vermont Gleaning Collective and Salvation Farms, or Make a Donation Feeding America served meals to over 46.5 million Americans in need this year. No matter where you are, you can help reduce hunger in your community this season. Make Thanksgiving Special with a matched donation ($1 = 20 meals!), Find Your Local Foodbank, Host a Virtual Food Drive, or Volunteer your time!