Salvation Farms History

Article by Sara Johnson of Vermont Campus Compact

After graduating from Sterling College with an Associate’s Degree in Natural Resource Management, Theresa Snow found herself working on a local Craftsbury farm, Pete’s Greens. She liked her work, was proud of what they’d accomplished, and had a good relationship with her boss. But it just wasn’t enough.

Sterling College prides itself in a unique approach to learning that “combines structured academic study with experiential challenges and plain hard work to build responsible problems solvers who become stewards of the environment as they pursue productive lives.” Sterling alums, like Theresa, have been taught to critically examine situations and find practical ways of improving them. With that background, Theresa found herself thinking about how market forces affect small Vermont niche farms like Pete’s; and she was dismayed at her conclusions. She discovered that far too often a lot of good, nutritious food goes to waste simply because it isn’t aesthetically pleasing enough for the consumer market or economical to harvest.

Theresa decided to bring up these concerns with her boss, Pete Johnson, and was pleased to find him very receptive. He even offered that she find a solution while continuing to work for him on the farm. At this point, all Theresa knew was that she had extra food and needed somewhere to take it. One of the first places she looked was the Vermont Foodbank – an organization that “secures large quantities of food and food-related products from commercial suppliers, concerned citizens, and other sources.” After the product is examined and sorted, it is then offered to the Foodbank’s member agencies in exchange for a low per-pound "shared maintenance fee."

While Theresa was excited about the Vermont Foodbank’s desire for fresh, locally grown nutritious foods, she also knew there were plenty of needy agencies right in her own neighborhood. Soon enough, Theresa had lined up a long list of donation sites with access to residents of Lamoille Caledonia, and Orleans County who were food and/or nutritionally insecure.

That first summer, Theresa knew she had a large task in front of her. She had to identify the food, harvest it, sort it, and transport it all over the county. What she needed was some farming know-how and manpower, so she turned to her alma mater. Sterling students understand the concept of hard work - each is required to work 4 hours a week as part of the curriculum. On any given day, Sterling students can be found preparing food in the dining hall, feeding animals on the farm, or tutoring students at a nearby elementary school. Theresa recruited 9 volunteers through Sterling’s Farm Semester Program – an intensive summer experience of running the Sterling farm, which immerses students in the “daily rhythms and realities of organic and sustainable farming.” One of the students was Jen O’Donnell.

Jen was just entering the last year of her Bachelor’s Degree in Sustainable Agriculture at Sterling. She was also in the process of choosing a Senior Applied Research Project (SARP) – a requirement of all Sterling graduates. SARPs provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate mastery of skills taught in the core curriculum at Sterling College-“skills such as investigating a question or problem, organizing their time effectively, utilizing appropriate resources on and off campus, and presenting their findings in a meaningful way.” Jen was looking for a project and Theresa was looking for a partner, and things just fell into place.

It was through this partnership that Salvation Farms was officially born - with the mission “to harvest excess farm produce, making it available to Vermonters in need.” Since that time, Salvation Farms has fulfilled its mission by coordinating with farms and volunteer harvest crews, as well as arranging storage and distribution of donations. Theresa and Jen have also formed a partnership with Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) to act as their fiscal sponsor and organizational advisor.

To fulfill their mission, Theresa and Jen have reached out to volunteers of all ages and backgrounds including many Sterling College students and faculty. These dedicated volunteers harvest, sort, and transport the food to their many donation sites and Theresa and Jen make sure everyone has a good time.

In their first year, 2005, Salvation Farms harvested and donated a total of 13,375 lbs. of fresh food from 3 major farms to 18 donation sites. In addition to the Vermont Foodbank, some of their larger recipient sites included the Lamoille Community Food Share, the Woodbury/Calais Food Shelf, Teen Challenge, Hardwick Community Dinner, and the Lamoille Family Center.

But the salvaged food has been only part of their success. With two Sterling students on the job, Salvation Farms took on much more than its primary objective “to prevent excess produce from being wasted and to feed our neighbors.” Its other major goals focus on community building and education. Theresa and Jen want to pass along what they have learned through Salvation Farms about the real need for fresh, healthy food in their community.

Jen and Theresa are both proud of their accomplishments and excited about the future. They are currently working hard to fine-tune their gleaning model as well as make a name for themselves around the state. They believe gleaning can and should happen everywhere. But, they are also practical enough to know that they need smart growth. Rather than trying to transform every community in Vermont, they are focusing on creating a sustainable and effective model in their own community. And they seem confident that others will catch on because, “it just makes sense.”

What comes across from talking with Theresa and Jen is an obvious dedication to their work, to each other, and to having a good time. The energy between them is palpable as they tell their story and share their passions. Theresa is very honest. She describes the roots of this project as a matter of personal pride. She just couldn’t bare to see herself “selling her time” to someone else or working hard for something unless she truly believed in it. Jen too, shares these feelings. She wanted a senior project that she could be passionate about and that allowed her to create something to continue after graduation. If their first year is any indication, Jen will have her wish.