For our 20th birthday, we’re having a year-long celebration with lots of events! And we’re releasing our first-ever FRESH calendar, full of beautiful pictures and all the important (FRESH) dates!
Get yours by making a
$25 donation today!
I’m sure you’ve heard our big announcements:
FRESH will now operate under a co-director model, and Julie Garay will be FRESH’s first Co-Director of Operations!
AND we are looking for a partner to join her as the Co-Director of Development & Admin.
(Click here to see the job posting.)
Support this great work! Donate today!
(donate $50+ and receive a calendar as a thank you gift!)
Suggested Levels of Giving:
- $500-$100 covers the cost of a youth’s stipend for one season
- $250 sponsors a new backyard garden bed
- $100 supports food or childcare for a community event
- $50 buys soil and compost for one community garden bed
Every 10 years, FRESH goes through a shift!
As FRESH started, the organization was centered on growing food with youth. And soon started exploring ways to get more fresh food to New London families.
We developed a large garden at the Waterford Country School and taught young people all the steps that go into producing delicious, organic vegetables and herbs, from soil prep to seeding to nurturing to harvest.
They gained self-confidence alongside farming skills, and helped us start the Mobile Market and a our first and largest Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Each week young people would load our box truck with produce and travelled to different neighborhoods where fresh produce was expensive and less available.
The Mercer Community garden was born and FRESH helped catalyze statewide coalitions, the NL County Food Policy Council and a farm to school initiative.
In the second ten years, FRESH decided to focus on ways to bring more people into the process. We left the Waterford Country and began to focus on small scale growing, within New London. We recommitted to the Mercer Street Community Garden and expanded to McDonald Park.
Throughout our process of engaging with more people, we became more outwardly focused on racial and social justice as a means to make longterm systemic change. We brought more community members into the decision making process and they ultimately guided the strategic plan that we call the Five Year Urban Ag Plan.
From the hive mind of the community, we began programs to build more community gardens, backyard gardens, and snack beds, hosted skill shares and workshops, began a food pantry, and collaborated with several other organizations, both in our town and others.
We are still committed to youth and have doubled down on our leadership pipeline.
Our tiny but mighty food justice organization is growing every year, and we’re so excited to see what the next decade will bring! Happy 20th birthday to FRESH New London!
