Salvation Farms Receives Competitive Ben & Jerry’s Grant

The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation has awarded Salvation Farms its competitive capacity building grant. This three-year grant will support Salvation Farms implement its strategic plan. In doing so, Salvation Farms’ capacity to deliver quality programs will stabilize and grow.

Ben and Jerry’s Foundation Director of Programs, Rebecca Golden says, “We are so happy to have supported and witnessed the growth and effectiveness of Salvation Farms over the past many years. Theresa and the staff have raised the awareness of on-farm food loss and its potential to serve the needs of the food insecure across Vermont. They are capturing the attention and interest of food waste, food security and workforce development advocates across the country with their innovative programs.”

The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation awards only one multi-year capacity grant to a Vermont-based, statewide non-profit each year. The organization’s work must “resonate with the Foundation’s mission to further social justice, protect the environment, or support family farms and local food systems.”

Golden continues, “the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Grantmaking Committee was extremely impressed, not only with Salvation Farms’ programs and mission, but with the organization’s foresight and desire to do the organizational development work needed to get to the next level of their evolution with strength and sustainability, and with their clear and well-thought-out plans to do so.”

The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation grant comes on the heels of Salvation Farms’ founder and Executive Director, Theresa Snow receiving the Young Changemaker Award from Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Snow says, “Since 2004, Salvation Farms has been mobilizing Vermont and inspiring others across the nation to put surplus farm food to use building community food security. There is still much work to do. We are committed to building our strength and refining our business practices so that we can continue engaging and impacting communities across Vermont and beyond. It is such an honor to be chosen by the Ben and Jerry’s Foundation and their employee granting committee to receive this support.”

To learn more about Salvation Farms work, visit www.salvationfarms.org.