July 25, 2016

Judging by the size of the broccoli, Twin Villages Foodbank Farm has some good, rich soil to work with. Farm Manager Sara Cawthon reports that despite a dry summer, the vegetables are thriving. Cawthon and volunteers have been kept busy harvesting crisp lettuces, kale, vibrant Swiss chard, mini cabbages, beets, squash and broccoli.

Thanks to the community and individual donors, the farm has been making regular deliveries to the Ecumenical Food Pantry in Newcastle, St. Philip’s Church Food Pantry in Wiscasset, the Jefferson Area Food Bank, and the Open Door Café in Damariscotta, with hopes to expand to other programs in neighboring towns in the 2017 growing season.

The Ecumenical Food Pantry is very happy to replace some of the “tired” donations of produce with fresh-picked vegetables from the farm. The food pantry in Wiscasset isn’t equipped to store much produce, so is grateful to receive a delivery of lush greens each week, timed to arrive just prior to the pantry’s hours of operation. The Jefferson Area Food Bank has recently expanded their efforts and hours and uses TVFF produce to meet their growing needs.

Twin Villages Foodbank Farm has been focused on building infrastructure to meet on-farm and area needs. Paul Kelsey of Reilly Well Drilling quickly fit the farm into his busy schedule to drill a new well in July, and geophysicist Chris Covel volunteered his time to find the best location for the well on the property.

Additionally, TVFF just installed a large walk-in cooler to accommodate farm needs as well as provide extra storage for pantries. There are times when donations of cold stored items exceed a pantry’s capacity to hold them, and pantries end up having to decline donations. Extra cold storage space at TVFF ensures that produce doesn’t go to waste, and a steady supply is available to food pantries.

Twin Villages Foodbank Farm operates on a modification of the popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. This variation on the CSA model allows individuals, families and businesses to purchase a symbolic farm share which will then be donated for distribution to Lincoln County pantries. These sponsored farm shares are available for purchase at different levels. Full shares for $300 will “Feed a Family,” providing enough food to feed a family of four with a full season’s harvest of varied produce. A half share for $150 will “Feed a Couple” and $75 will “Feed an Individual.” Of course, donations of any size are most welcome.

The farm’s goal over the next couple of seasons is to reach 175 donated CSA shares annually to sustain the operation. TVFF plans to expand in coming seasons to produce over 40,000 pounds of nutrient-dense produce for donation each year.

The Damariscotta River Association* serves as fiscal sponsor and provides land for the farm, which is located at Coastal Rivers’ Great Salt Bay Farm. For more information or to purchase a CSA, please contact Sara at scawthon@twinvillagesfarm.org.

*Damariscotta River Association and Pemaquid Watershed Association unified in 2019 to become Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.

November 29, 2015

The summer of 2016 brings renewed agricultural life to Damariscotta River Association’s Great Salt Bay Farm,* which is host to Megan Taft and Sara Cawthon’s newly established Twin Villages Foodbank Farm. As part of a regional effort to address hunger in Midcoast Maine, two acres of DRA’s Great Salt Bay Farm will be cultivated to grow crops for distribution at the Ecumenical Food Pantry and other Lincoln County pantries and low-income food programs.

Twin Villages Foodbank Farm is the culmination of on-going conversations among the DRA, local farmers and regional partners including Lincoln County Food Council, FARMS, the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program, and the Ecumenical Food Pantry.

Cultivating the fields at DRA’s Great Salt Bay Farm honors the history of the farm by returning a portion of the land back to active agricultural production, while significantly increasing access to fresh, local produce for families from our neighboring communities. The opportunity to reestablish crop production at the farm is a powerful reminder that the health of our lands, water and people are closely linked.

Cawthon and Taft first approached the DRA with the idea of cultivating a foodbank farm after visiting the Ecumenical Food Pantry and talking with other regional partners about the need for increasing the availability and quality of fresh foods to regional food pantries. It was clear that while effort is made to provide families with fresh produce, additional work is needed to provide an adequate supply of fresh, nutritious foods. Twin Villages Foodbank Farm will produce a diverse mix of fresh vegetables which will provide over 20,000 pounds of nutritionally dense produce this season.

One and a half acres have already been prepared at the farm, and cold weather crop seedlings are thriving in a Unity College greenhouse, to be planted in late April. Start-up funding has been received in the form of two grants, one from the Horizon Foundation and the other from the Quimby Family Foundation. Additionally, individual supporters are stepping up to contribute funds to the farm through sponsored “CSA Shares.”

The farm will operate on a modification of the popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, where individuals, families and businesses can purchase a farm share which would then be donated for distribution to Lincoln County pantries. These sponsored farm shares are available for purchase at different levels. Full shares for $300 will “Feed a Family,” providing a family of four with a full season’s harvest of varied produce. A half share for $150 will “Feed a Couple.”

DRA Executive Director Steven Hufnagel notes, “We are thrilled to provide the space and organizational support for such capable farmers to address a pressing problem in our community. Coastal Rivers lands serve the region and its people in so many ways, and we’ve played a role in promoting local agriculture through our conservation activities, but this project couldn’t be more direct or tangible in its benefits.”

Cawthon and Taft have a wide range of agricultural experiences in New England and the Midwest. They have operated their own CSA farm, founded and worked for a growers’ cooperative supporting disadvantaged farmers, helped start a beginner farm incubator, and have worked with several educational food and farm programs.

Cawthon holds a Master of Science degree from Antioch University in Environmental Studies with a focus on agriculture and has most recently served as the Bowdoin College Organic Garden Manager. Taft holds a Master in Education degree in Social Justice Education with a concentration in Food Justice and Access.

For questions or more information about Twin Villages Foodbank Farm email TVFF at scawthon@twinvillagesfarm.org.

*Damariscotta River Association and Pemaquid Watershed Association unified in 2019 to become Coastal Rivers Conservation Trust.