Bennington County Conservation District recently received a $ 2,998.80 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation’s Spark Connecting Community grant program. This grant will help further BCCD’s mission of promoting rural livelihoods and protecting natural resources in Southwestern VT, by supporting local agriculture and agricultural education.

“This grant will enable BCCD to come alongside Merck Forest and Farmland Center’s Northshire Grown: Direct CSA effort. This directly marketed CSA has supported local producers and neighbors in need, during the ongoing Covid pandemic. We will use these funds to host a series of producer and buyer forums and a financial analysis for the Northshire Grown: Direct CSA in Dorset…. to explore the next steps for the CSA, as we look eagerly toward the subsiding of the pandemic. We will also explore opportunities to mirror this successful model with Southshire Grown: Direct CSA in Bennington.” – BCCD’s District Manager, Katy Crumley

https://www.northshiregrown.com/

The Spark Connecting Community grant program puts building and nurturing community front and center. The Foundation aims to support the work happening throughout Vermont’s 251 towns and builds social capital. These grants – where a small amount can make a big difference – are intended to light the spark that keeps Vermonters healthy and happy.

Bennington County Conservation District’s mission is to support rural livelihoods and natural resources throughout Bennington County, Vermont.

Working with municipalities, partner organizations and landowners to provide education and outreach and develop, design and implement local conservation projects of a wide range, from agriculture to forest connectivity to stormwater management. Conservation is a local effort!

The Vermont Community Foundation inspires giving and brings peoples and resources together to make a difference in Vermont. A family of hundreds of funds and foundations, we provide the advice, investment vehicles, and back-office expertise that make it easy for the people who care about Vermont to find and fund the causes they love.

The heart of the Community Foundation’s work is closing the opportunity gap – the divide that leaves too many Vermonters struggling to get ahead, no matter how hard they work. We are aligning our time, energy, and discretionary resources on efforts that provide easy access to early care and learning, pathways to college and career training, support for youth and families, and community and economic vitality. We envision Vermont at its best – where everyone has the opportunity to build a bright, secure future.