LACE - An Idea Whose Time has Come
I’m writing this on June 6th, 2007. By tomorrow, the doors to my daughter, Ariel Zevon’s dream venture, LACE (Local Agricultural Community Exchange), will be open for business. As I stand back amid the flurry of activity ranging from farmers delivering fresh lettuce and eggs to the health inspector examining the temperature of the freezers to the countless, dedicated volunteers unpacking dishes, applying the last touches of paint and organizing toys in the children’s center, I find it necessary to pause for a moment to reflect on how this all came to be.
I was living in Brattleboro and Ariel was living in Los Angeles, trying to break into the acting world. When she and her husband, Ben Powell, had twin sons, their priorities took a dramatic shift. They talked about moving to Vermont, where they had both graduated from Marlboro College, and buying a farm. As it turned out, Ariel found a house in Barre, Vermont on the Internet at a price they could afford, they sent me up to take a look and then they bought it sight unseen.
Although they had moved into town, Ariel’s dream of working with the land and feeding her children farm fresh foods was as strong as ever. The problem was that she couldn’t find easy access to locally grown food, especially during the winter, and she found herself shopping at chain supermarkets, buying produce that had been shipped 1,500 miles when she knew farmers in her own neighborhood were growing the same product. Ariel was rankled to think of the amount of fuel it takes to process and ship food cross-country. She was also keenly aware of the loss of freshness and nutritional value of foods being shipped long distances. But, what made the greatest impression was the difference in growing methods and treatment of livestock on small farms as opposed to corporate farms and feedlots.
She began taking courses on women in agricultural business, while making the rounds of farmers markets, visiting farms and talking with both farmers and people in the community. One day, she noticed a “For Rent” sign on a downtown store front in Barre, and the idea for LACE began to germinate. She had already discovered that there were others like her who would prefer to be supporting and feeding their families from local farms, but lacked easy access to what was grown and produced locally. She also realized that while Vermont has more small farms per capita than any state in the U.S. many Vermonters have no idea about the growing methods of the farms surrounding them, and how those methods compare to corporate farms and feed lots. Besides that, Barre, with more and more empty storefronts, looked like a town in need of some serious revitalization. With those thoughts in mind, Ariel set out on a mission. Tomorrow, that mission, Ariel’s dream come true, will begin in earnest.
LACE is a non-profit organization dedicated to reconnecting the community with its local food source through a year round Farm Fresh Market & Cafe that will sell and serve all Vermont products. The kitchen is equipped as a small processing and packaging center for community members to rent on an hourly basis. LACE staff will also assist farmers with packaging and marketing their products. LACE Learning Programs will educate children and adults about local foods, cooking and food preservation. LACE will also work with local food charities, elderly housing communities and the Vermont FoodBank to provide healthful local foods to those in need. All products and services are offered in an effort to strengthen the community’s economic, social and physical wellbeing by reconnecting the people with the land and their local farmers. The goal is to put money back into the community and its land; therefore, all profits after expenses will be channeled directly back into LACE programs to support the community and its farmers.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Good to know this is going on! Big swell toward this sort of thing this growing season in many communities I have come across. Yah!