COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
build the systems and relationships that make a real impact on institutional buy- ing,” McDowell said. “We were able to land two New England Food Vision Priz- es back-to-back by showing we don’t need startup funds to access the market — we need funding to scale real, working models.” The Food Hub supplies UVM Din- ing with “Just Cut“ vegetables, organic greens, mushrooms and Harvest of the Month products. Transparency in com- munication and shared goals have been the key conditions that have made this collaboration so successful season after season. “UVM Dining has created the condi- tions for us to innovate. Food hubs like ours can then respond quickly to meet the needs of farmers and customers alike,“ McDowell said. “Because the In- tervale Center works one-on-one with farmers across the State, we understand on a deep level what these businesses need.” And the students of UVM benefit too, firstly by getting to eat the fresh, local meals on campus, and also by engag- ing in a direct way with how food sys- tems work, what an outreach looks like, and more hands-on experiences that will serve them and their communities wherever they end up after graduation. “They’re not just eating local — they’re learning what it means to be part of a local food system,” Reilly said. “That understanding is what will help sustain these efforts for the next generation.” Another way UVM Dining is being a catalyst for change: Vermont First Ad- visory Board is a cross-sector group con- vened by UVM Dining that creates an intersection of people from state agen- cies, nonprofits and higher ed, working together to find ways to break through the complex barriers that too often keep people away from good food. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we’re even more motivated by what’s ahead,” Reilly said. “The farm-to-institu- tion movement is critical to the success of our local farmers and producers. We see ourselves as partners in that work.”
sustainability leaders. The event will be made even better with UVM Dining providing a financial donation and also a locally sourced cheese board. “Over the past decade, we’ve built strong partnerships with local farmers, producers, distributors, and our commu- nity to source and serve local products at our 12 Vermont locations,” Reilly said. “But our impact goes beyond pur- chasing. We’ve used our buying pow- er to help small businesses grow into larger networks, and we’ve worked side-by-side with producers to develop new food products — many support- ed through grant funding.” Since 2019, UVM Dining has helped secure five New England Food Vision Prizes. The most recent, awarded in partnership with the Intervale Center, will help expand the Intervale Food Hub’s services, upgrade critical equipment, and build out digital infrastructure to support campus kitch- ens and streamline logistics. The Intervale Center’s name is de- rived from the Old English word for “in between,” a reference to its location between the Winooski River and Lake Champlain, making this a natural agri- cultural center (much like Egypt’s Fertile Crescent) for thousands of years. The Center acknowledges the fact that the location, the unrelinquished “land of the
wild onions,” or Winsooskik to the Abe- naki people, whose resilience the Center is committed to supporting. And since it was founded in 1988, In- tervale has been a force for equality for people through food systems. Accord- ing to the Center’s mission statement: “We’ve pioneered game-changing initia- tives like community-supported agricul- ture (CSA), large-scale composting, food hubs and farm incubators. We continue to innovate so that more good food is available for anyone who wants it.” The vision of Intervale Center consists of food systems that are “inclusive, sus- tainable and accessible and that center social, economic and environmental jus- tice,” the mission statement reads. “We envision a future where diverse farms and food producers thrive, the natural environment is healthy and all people are nourished.” Kristen McDowell, food hub manager at the Intervale Center, finds that the longstanding relationship with UVM Dining is symbiotic, allowing the Food Hub to better understand the needs of large institutions, which in turn has helped them grow their reach with both farmers and vendors. “Our 10-plus year partnership with UVM Dining has allowed us to demon- strate to funders that we know how to
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QUARTERLY | Q3
PHOTO COURTESY OF SODEXO
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