Sprouting Local: Introduction

Before I delve too deeply into the topics of these posts, I want to thank you. Your interest in this blog shows a clear commitment to this small community in Vermont and your desire to make the world a healthier and more caring place. 

I would first like to introduce myself and give you a little background. My name is Colin Clarcq. I graduated from university in the spring of 2020 and moved to Middlebury for an AmeriCorps position in waste management back in September. 

Growing up in a small rural farming town in Maine, I have experienced first-hand the power of a close-knit, caring community. Since moving to Vermont I have been astounded by the close community ties not only in our county, but in the State of Vermont as a whole. The amount of energy Vermonters put into caring for their fellow humans is truly inspiring. It is this commitment to place and to each other that inspires me to take on a greater role in our community. Through these blog posts, I hope to deepen that sense of belonging and maybe inspire others to do the same.

This blog will be about food. Food is, in my opinion, one of the deepest ways a community can come together. It allows people to put differences aside, lay down their arguments and share in something everyone loves and needs. A consistently healthy diet of locally-grown foods builds our immunity and the ability to resist chronic illness, surmount mental hurdles, and tastes great. 

In Addison County, there is no shortage of nutritious, locally-sourced foods, yet homes across the county still experience food insecurity. Kids and adults alike go to bed hungry and wake up to the cheap refined and processed foods that provide none of the benefits of locally-grown whole foods. 

The essential human right to be able to access good food and enjoy food security has been replaced by cheap, highly-processed, refined and reconstituted ingredients labeled as “food”. This blog will explore how this disconnect between foods and people has occurred in our country, how we can regain food sovereignty in our communities, as well as ways we can come together as a community to revitalize the land and end food insecurity for all.