Spring Benefit Raises $70,000 to Support Our Mission

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our members, sponsors, donors, and volunteers, Slow Food Hudson Valley’s Spring Benefit brought in game-changing funding to support our mission of good, clean, and fair food for all.

After careful evaluation of the most beneficial ways to allocate the $70,000 raised, Slow Food Hudson Valley’s board has decided to direct the funds to four mission-critical channels. This graphic (left) explains the breakdown and reasoning for each.

These allocations will have a positive impact on three important strands of the Hudson Valley’s tightly interwoven food system. It’s a virtuous cycle we’re proud to play a small part in advancing.

By providing funding to small, independent farms and farmers in our area, we are investing in the health of our land and our neighbors. By strengthening food access for community members suffering from food insecurity, we both help to build a market for local farm produce and alleviate hunger. By investing in the establishment and maintenance of school gardens, we help to cultivate the next generation of local food advocates.

We live in one of the most bountiful agricultural areas in the country. Our mission is to turn the wheel and share that bounty widely and deliciously.

Wild Hudson Valley Celebrates Community and Conviviality

On a crisp, clear, early spring Sunday, amid the rolling fields and forests of Liberty Farms in Ghent, NY, more than 150 guests gathered to celebrate the season’s first harvests. Foragers, farmers, cider-/winemakers, cheesemongers and chefs pulled together to spotlight the wild and delicious flavors of spring.

The creative energy of our volunteers transformed the rustic barn that anchors this organic farm into a center of celebration. With horsestalls repurposed as impromptu chef’s kitchens, Overlook Farm pigs roasting on spits just outside the barn, and a profusion of fresh blooms from Rigor Hill farm, the array of smells and colors brought this rustic space to life. An extra long table was set for guests to connect and savor as local band Hot Chestnut filled the barn with traditional acoustic jazz and swing. A centerpiece of the afternoon was the presentation of Slow Food Hudson Valley’s first Snailblazer Award to Kathleen Finlay of Glynwood.

Photographer Ralph Gartner captured the spirit, vitality, and deliciousness of this special event.