Who We Are
ACORN’s mission is to promote the growth and health of local food and agriculture in Vermont's Southern Champlain Valley. ACORN is a community-based organization working to reinvest in our local economy, revitalize our local food systems and reconnect our regional community. Our programs include: Tour de Farms, Farm-to-School and Community Food Education in Addison County, the annual Guide to Local Food and Farms, Farmacy and other events that unite the people and landscape of Addison county. For more information, go to http://www.acornvt.org/.
What We Do
ACORN is a board-driven network. We meet monthly and have no office or full-time staff, so we have had to be creative and entrepreneurial. We manage our meager resources and time conservatively, so collaborations with a wide variety of partners are key. We’ve worked in our community as a catalyst, an incubator and, most importantly, as a networker.
We strive to be financially sustainable by raising enough revenue through our projects and donations to cover the cost of our operations. Key to our success has been the generous sponsorship we have received from the local business community. While we cannot provide direct funding of projects, we can serve as a fiscal sponsor for grants in our capacity as a 501(c)(3) organization.
There is a lot of work to do, so we must be very selective about where we put our energy. We always welcome new ideas and initiatives. We’ve learned from experience, however, that every project MUST have a champion or champions who will carry the flag and who can rally others. The ACORN Network offers new initiatives mentoring, networking and a community of support for champions to incubate and realize their vision.
