Jericho Underhill Food Hub schedules July 23 visioning session, moves to expand outreach

The Jericho Underhill Food Hub on June 25 scheduled a community "visioning" session for July 23 at the United Church of Underhill to gather member ideas and public input on the hub's long-term goals. The meeting will run 4–7 p.m. with dinner first; attendees were asked to bring their own meals.

The session, announced by Dave Clift, is intended to help the volunteer-run group chart its priorities and next steps, including outreach, services for local farms and event planning. Members also discussed an overhaul of the Hub's website: Sandy Wilmot said Wes, Dave, Sandy and Nathan Goldman had met and planned new site features such as additional top tabs for "Resources" and "Get Involved," a map of farms in Jericho and Underhill, and a farmer-submission area for photos, blurbs and links to individual farm websites.

Hub organizers outlined a slate of summer workshops aimed at food preservation and homesteading skills. Sandy Wilmot and John C explained plans for a "Putting Food By" series running from mid-July through mid-August; Chris Simms of Ash Grove Farm in Jericho is scheduled to lead a homesteading workshop on Monday, July 21. The minutes note other proposed topics include preserving foods, mushroom growing/foraging, canning, seed saving and pest control.

Members were encouraged to involve farmers and producers directly: the Hub recorded that farmers may set up tables at Hub events to promote or sell products, and Amy Golodetz volunteered to assemble materials for the Hub's table at the Community Dinner on Aug. 10. The group set its next regular meeting for Aug. 27.

The July 23 visioning meeting and the planned workshops and website upgrades are intended to broaden participation from local farmers and residents and to make Hub resources easier to find and use.