ACORN’s 2026 Annual Meeting
When: Tuesday, Nov. 10, 5:30-7:30pm
Where: CVUUS, 5 Duane Court, Middlebury
What: You’ll hear updates on how we’re building the local food shed of our dreams, be nourished by delicious local food cooked by Chef Janis of The Farmstand Cafe, and be inspired by local poets, musicians and storytellers.
Our lineup is packed with members of our community who will share their take on "Light of a Clear Blue Morning".
Performers include:
- Poets Alexandre Apfel and Caitlin Gildrien
- Musicians and song leaders Grace Oedel, Joanna Colwell, and Dan Brett
- Storytellers Mary Bosco and Madeline and Thelma from Migrant Justice
How: RSVPs are required. Buy your ticket using the button below.
Events Archive
ACORN hosts events to further support our mission of strengthening the food and farming community in the Champlain Valley. Check out some of our previous events below!
The 2026 Tour de Farms was Saturday, September 19
Peak Pairings 2026
2026 Open House
We invited community members, producers, and buyers to come see our warehouse on Exchange St! It was a wonderful evening of connection, bites from local growers and producers, block printing, and a chocolate milk tasting!
Photos from our 2025 Annual Meeting
Thanks to the 100+ community members who joined us to celebrate another year in local food! In addition to eating a fantastic meal provided by Janis and Jason and The Farmstand Cafe, and recapping ACORN’s highlights from the last year, we heard poetry from Caitlin, sang with Moira and Joanna and heard stories from:
Thelma Gomez, Migrant Justice (Statewide)
Changchang Ma, The Knoll Farm and Climate Action Fellow at Middlebury College (Middlebury)
Ava Murphey, Jump Rope Farm (New Haven)
Jacob Powsner, Baird Farm (Chittenden)
Ellie, Foxglove Farm (Leicester)
We look forward to another year of collaboration, connection and moving more local food in 2026!
Farmer Wellness Day Hosted in Collaboration with Rural Vermont!
We hosted a Farmer Wellness Day in December at MarbleWorks in Middlebury, in partnership with Rural Vermont. Activities included restorative yoga, massages, herbalism consultations, cold plunge/sauna, and connecting with community.
Thanks to funding from the Vermont Council on Rural Development for the seed money to continue the Farmer Climate Network working bees and Farmer Wellness Days.
2024 Annual Meeting
November 18, 2024
We had a blast at our 2024 Annual Meeting, with delicious eats from Frog Hollow Farmstead and Farmstand Cafe, an informational presentation from the ACORN team, and a story-telling hour centered on the theme of “Showing Up.” Watch the recording above to learn more about ACORN and our local food shed!
Agency of Agriculture Listening Session for Addison County.
February 13, 2024
Mark your calendars! Tuesday, February 13th, from 5 PM to 7 PM, Agency of Agriculture and ACORN will be co-hosting an evening of conversation in Middlebury.
Join us at the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society to casually chat plans for a changing climate, grant opportunities, business support, and your farm’s needs.
Parking, childcare, and light nibbles will be provided.
2023 Annual Meeting
November 29, 2023
We had a blast at our 2023 Annual Meeting! You can catch up on all the ACORN news by watching the recording above! Thank you to V Smiley and Minifactory for hosting us. A HUGE thanks to our wonderful panelists, as well:
Matt Bryan + Olivia Glascoe (Lower Notch Berry Farm)
Silas Doyle-Burr (Last Resort Farm)
AnnaJo Smith (Smith Family Farm)
Spence Blackwell (Elmer Farm)
Cooperatively Healing our Watershed Homes
November 9, 2023
Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op and ACORN were thrilled to host Abe Collins of The Land Care Cooperative and special guest speaker Mercy Larson of Larson Farm.
The event was a wonderful opportunity our community to come together to educate and organize ourselves as we begin a new chapter of cooperation with our farming neighbors to engage in the work of growing topsoil, increasing biodiversity, increasing the water-holding capacity of our soils, increasing groundwater recharge, practicing economic democracy, and beginning the long journey of effectively healing our watershed homes.
Nightmare on Exchange Street
October 26, 2023
ACORN hosted a Halloween-themed launch of our new Farmer Climate Network! Best dressed went to the Foxglove Farm family of acorns! How cute are they!?
Complete with a taco bar, wellness bar, Fiddlehead on tap, masseuse and DJ, we welcomed growers, and their friends and family members, to kick back at the ACORN Food Hub to enjoy a few hours of relaxation time.
We also gathered feedback for winter and spring working bees. These half and full day projects will prove that old adage that many hands make light work! Thanks to funding from the Vermont Council on Rural Development for the seed money to start the Network and working bees.
If you are a grower and have additional ideas for winter and spring working bee projects, please email Lilah.
Cultivating Food Sovereignty through Community
May 16, 2023
We want to extend a big thank you to Addison Allies, the chefs of Viva el Sabor, the staff at 51 Main St, and the Middlebury College environmental studies seniors who helped us pull off a last-minute end of semester celebration on May 16!
Addison Allies and ACORN collaborated with a group of 8 Middlebury students on a senior capstone project that researched the continued development of the ACORN Food Hub and potential commercial community kitchen.
We decided (three weeks before the end of the semester) to host an event to connect the students' research with our wider community so we can begin to build community support for this growing project. You all turned out in spades, with over 120 folks registering and just under 100 attending, and for that, we thank YOU as well!
We plan to continue hosting events like these to keep you all informed of our progress and to make sure we're on track to creating an inclusive space that best serves our whole community. Stay tuned!
To learn more about the project, read Aria and Louisa's op-ed in the Addy Indy here.
The ACORN Food Hub Presents: Taste the Valley
January 10, 2023
