A Chilly Challenge to Bolster Local Food Security

Morrisville Rotary to Host Polar Non-Splash: Shiverin’ to Share

A Barn Renovation Project to Build Community Food Security

A historic barn in Morrisville, Vermont awaits its new purpose. Imagine this old barn transformed into a community hub. Bustling with volunteers and filled with produce from local farms. A space of constant movement where the generosity and hard work of farmers meets the needs of neighbors.

This barn, returning to its agricultural roots, will house Salvation Farms’ Lamoille Valley Gleaning program - a program that in 2020, helped farmers feed more than 5,000 community members seeking assistance to meet their daily food needs. More than 150,000 servings of locally grown produce that the farm had no paying market for was made available to neighbors in need.

Gleaning, the act of reaping after the harvest, reconnects all members of a community with the nurishment provided by its farms. This barn will help more volunteers engage with area farms and build the community's reliance and appreciation of its area farms by increasing the region's use of locally grown food by all community members.

The barn renovation is nearly complete. An estimated $20,000 is needed to button up final, important details - doors, bathroom, stairs, wheelchair accessibility, clapboarding, painting, a parking lot, and more.

Innovative partnerships have blossomed during this project. The barn, owned by United Way of Lamoille County, is being renovated for the purpose of building community food security in the region. To further innovative partnerships, Green Mountain Technology and Career Center’s Construction Technology students have joined in and will complete the renovations.

Expand the partnerships further and introduce the Morrisville Rotary and their world-famous Polar Splash. The community food security barn renovation project is the Rotary’s 2021 recipient of this fundraiser. And while Covid-19 may have given The Polar Splash cold feet, creativity has exploded! And your help is needed!

Join the Polar Non-Splash: Shiverin’ to Share! This virtual fundraiser invites you to participate. Get creative! Make a snow angel, shovel some snow, move some stuff with your tractor BUT no snowsuits or boots allowed - the sky's the limit.

A minimum donation of $20 is required to participate. Take photos or videos, and get social with #ShiverinToShare and challenge a minimum of three friends. Businesses and organizations challenge each other. Sponsorships opportunities are available.

Help the Morrisville Rotary Club and United Way of Lamoille County raise funds to finish the renovations on this barn and build community food security. The Polar Non-Splash continues is a month-long challenge, ending March 14th.

Learn more about the challenge here: uwlamoille.org/shiver/

Donate to the challenge here: charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/polar-non-splash-shiverin-to-share

Learn more about the barn here: uwlamoille.org/partnerships/renovation-to-build-food-security.html