Saturday, July 15 Flooding Update: How You Can Help ICF
Wednesday morning
Late Monday evening, July 10, the Winooski River began to flood Intervale Community Farm and adjacent farms. Floodwaters began to recede around 10:30am Wednesday morning. Virtually the entire farm was flooded.
The ICF Board has reached out to all members with some suggestions for helping the ICF staff in the short term, with the goal of cleaning up the farm and moving forward.
Dear ICF members,
It’s been quite a week at Intervale Community Farm. We value our members and appreciate your patience and support.
What We Know
Intervale Community Farm sustained catastrophic flooding Tuesday and Wednesday this week, engulfing 99% of Intervale Community Farm, the worst disaster of our 34 years. We’ve lost many crops. A few crops may recover, but it is too soon to tell. Our farmer neighbors suffered similar fates.
Through the combined efforts of ICF staff and volunteers, we were able to rescue many crops before the flooding. These crops, alongside our greenhouse cucumbers and tomatoes, will sustain our summer shares for some weeks.
Expect an update next Wednesday with more information about our summer CSA shares, which will resume at their regular time and place on Thursday, July 20.
What We Are Doing
As your Board, we represent you, the ICF members, in making decisions to sustain the health of our cooperative farm. We value how Intervale Community Farm feeds our community delicious organic vegetables, sustaining all of us while donating many tons of fresh produce.
We are also proud employers of some of the smartest, friendliest, and hardest working people anywhere. Our team put their bodies and minds into growing our food day in and day out, year after year, laboring through heat, cold, rain, mosquitoes, floods, and even a pandemic. With the extensive flooding, we have a special concern for their wellbeing.
We want all of you to know today that our Farm will recover and thrive, and that all of our efforts are directed towards that end.
How You Can Help Now
While we chart the path forward, we would value your support to help retain our talented staff and proceed with cleanup and restoration efforts. You can help in several ways:
Financial
Donate to the ICF, GoFundMe, which is easy to share. (Or mail a check, of course!)
Support our neighbors and ICF together with a donation to the Intervale Recovery Fund. (Select Recovery Fund rather than General Support.)
Volunteer
We know that some of you would like to help us at ICF. Cleanup and restoration can be muddy, dirty, and disagreeable tasks and we would truly appreciate and value your help. Please register your interest here and we will keep you informed of volunteer opportunities as they arise.
Moral support
Your words and messages of support are important and encouraging to the staff and Board. We also know that the staff love food and cookies. While we are doing our best to retain our staff, some may need to seek other work and many need winter jobs. If you have a good opportunity, please send it our way.
We are honored to help steward this farm that is central to so many of us. Though the waters are muddy, with your support we will persevere.
In cooperation,
Bonnie, Christopher, Emily, Lis, Maja, Mandy, Mark, Mieko, and Pamela,
Intervale Community Farm Cooperative Board