This year has been wild and unpredictable. The global pandemic changed the way we live in the blink of an eye and brought into sharp contrast the plagues of racism and wealth inequality in our country. The virus has revealed the fragility of our global food system but has also shown quite plainly the strength and resilience of so much of our local food system.

At the Intervale Center, we answered the call of our community to step up in big ways as soon as the veil of quarantine fell over Vermont. With the support of so many incredible volunteers, donors, and partners, through uncertainty and fear, together, we have said yes to farms, land and people!

Together, we expanded home delivery of local food through the Intervale Food Hub, growing this service rapidly in the early days of the pandemic to help families in Burlington access healthy, local food in the safest way possible.

Together, we supported 100 farms statewide as they negotiated changing and unpredictable markets, generating individual plans to bring farm businesses online and fielding calls from farmers around the country looking to purchase land and relocate to Vermont.

Together, we partnered with Skinny Pancake’s ShiftMeals initiative, supporting the rapid development of this free meal program, which is transforming the way charitable food works across the state.

Together, we stewarded the Intervale as a safe haven, greeting thousands of visitors who find recreation, nourishment, and solace on our trails and in our gardens.

Together, we developed ways to engage people in the critical work of community building. From yoga classes on the lawn and outdoor cooking classes, to volunteer opportunities and our live music broadcast series, Spirit of Summervale, we provided enriching ways for people to connect with our work and with each other.

Together, we propagated 57,000 trees — the most ever in a single year — and continue to plant 140 acres of new forest across Vermont despite the many hurdles presented by the pandemic, because the work of climate mitigation cannot stop.

Together, we grew, gleaned, harvested and donated 30,000+ lbs. of food (and more to come) to our neighbors in need by adding the People’s Farm and expanding distribution through free pop-up markets throughout the year.

Together, we will continue to double down on our mission and vision, acting in ways that deepen our work so that it is rich and people centered.

We simply could not have responded to the significant needs of this time without you.

Thank you for supporting the present and future of Vermont’s food system. Thank you for taking care of our communities, watersheds, and people. We are so grateful to be in community with you.

Sincerely,

Christine, Hannah, Annalise, Lexie, Keith, Sara, Patrick, Taylor, Mandy F, Karen, Melanie, Nikki, Travis, Lena, Duncan, Reid, Sam, Mandy S, Carolyn, Lauren, Kristen, Tyler, and Nathan

Together We Can Care for People and the Planet