Gifts of Love, Community Farm of Simsbury Continue to Strengthen Relationship

For several years now, Avon-based Gifts of Love and the Community Farm of Simsbury have worked closely together — sharing the salary of a garden manager, providing fresh produce for food pantry clients and producing special events, such as this Friday’s Ready, Set, Cook Tailgate Party.

In fact, the relationship has gone so well over the past several years, the two organizations are exploring a potential merger. 

It started several years ago when Diana Goode had a vision to make fresh produce an integral part of the food pantry at Gifts of Love.

Her idea was to hire someone to grow produce on town-owned land in Avon and let clients pick their own.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving backed the concept and four years ago, it was one of a handful of programs they supported with a three-year commitment to the Avon-based organization.

After applying for the funds however, Goode, the organization’s executive director, began following the progress at Community Farm of Simsbury, a non-profit formed at the former Town Farm Dairy. The farm leases 77 acres of the Simsbury owned property, donated by Amos Eno in 1883, “to be used for the occupation and maintenance of the town poor.”

With that neighboring farm planning to grow food for the needy, Goode begin thinking it would be better to work with them and contacted Timothy Goodwin, who at the time was executive director at the farm.

After some discussion, and with the foundation’s blessing, Gifts of Love agreed to use the funds to share the salary for the farm’s garden manager.

For Goode it turned out to be a much better way to help bring fresh produce to its food pantry clients. Currently the organization helps 350 families per month, most of whom use the food pantry.

Working with the farm offers allows Gifts of Love to have fresh produce at the pantry. 

“I didn’t want produce to be an afterthought,” Goode said.  

With high tunnels at the farm, some products are even offered year round.

While the initial grant has expired, Gifts of Love continues to share the salary of the garden manager.

Gifts of Love is not the only organization that benefits from the farm's bounty. In 2012, more than 14,000 pounds of certified organic was donated through Simsbury Social Services, Gifts of Love, Hartford Food System, Foodshare, and Billing Forge Community Works, according to the Community Farm web site.

For Gifts of Love, the relationship with Community Farm goes much deeper that the food pantry. 

The two organizations, for example, already collaborate on numerous events.

This Friday the two are sponsoring a Ready, Set, Cook Tailgate Party in which teams of celebrities, chefs and sponsors prepare food using mystery baskets.

Rebecca Lobo will be among the judges and celebrity radio and television personalities will be in on the fun. Tickets are $50. See more details at http://giftsoflovect.org/event_calendar.php?id=6&time=1376006400

In addition to such events, Gifts of Love can offer so much in resources to the farm — notably its 8 staff members and 135 volunteers, Goode said. 

The farm offers both summer and school-year educational programs, an incubator farm program and many special events such as Farm to Table Dinners.

Gifts of Love has the resources to take the phone calls and coordinate many efforts such as scheduling, freeing up the small farm staff, Goode said. They could also offer other resources, such as payroll, further lessening the burden on the small farm staff. 

“Why reinvent the wheel?" Goode said. “It took us 24 years. They can continue to do what they do best — teach classes and grow food.”

Mark Nolan, interim executive director of the Community Farm, said he feels the merger would be great for both organizations.

The two have been exploring the idea for about a year, he told Simsbury selectmen last month.

“We’ve spent a lot of time working on due diligence,” Nolan said.

Both boards have approved the idea and attorneys are reviewing the idea and the working brand name and identity of the farm would not change, he said.

“We expect to continue our strong relationship,” he said.

Maggie Saska, Garden Manager at the farm, said she loves the idea and said the farm has benefitted from the relationship as well as the programs it offers.

“It’s a really nice merging of education and working with the community,” Saska said.