Partnership with the Granby Community Fund
The Friends of Holcomb Farm (FOHF) speak regularly, proudly and gratefully about our Fresh Access (FA) program, in which we raise money through donations, grants and farming to provide nearly a quarter of all the produce we grow to people who might not otherwise have access to fresh produce. Since 2018, FA’s support of people right here in Granby has grown 40 percent, and the funding backbone of this support is the Granby Community Fund (GCF). Generous support from the GCF allows us to distribute produce through the town’s senior center and social services department, as well as the weekly Waste Not Want Not Community Dinners and, as of 2023, the Granby Congregational Church’s Open Cupboard Food Pantry. In 2024, we plan to spend almost $25,000 on fresh produce that these local partners will distribute to our friends and neighbors.
Formed in 1960, the GCF is one of only a few such organizations still active in Connecticut. It employs an efficient and effective system of raising funds from residents and businesses, then distributing grants to agencies serving Granby residents. The GCF’s Budget and Admissions committee reviews and vets all grant applications before making recommendations to its board. The GCF’s methods of fundraising have evolved, from its original door-to-door solicitations to an annual campaign using mail, email, and social media, but its purpose—providing a way for people to support organizations in Granby and serving Granby residents—remains.
Patty Sansone leads the GCF’s all-volunteer board of directors, and she reports that the GCF’s fundraising budget this year is $50,000. In addition, the directors have begun to engage more directly with some of the businesses and recently joined the Granby-Simsbury Chamber of Commerce. Sansone also coordinates the volunteers at the Fresh Access weekly produce distributions at the Senior Center. She states: “To see our GCF grants stretched to serve so many members of our community is both humbling and gratifying, and the recipients are so very appreciative.”
Donna Snyder, Fresh Access chair for the FOHF, and its representative on the GCF Board, reminds us, “The GCF is a great way to support Granby organizations! Our FA community partners tell us the need (and cost) for nutritious and fresh produce continues to grow. Donations to the GCF help ensure the Granby Fresh Access community partners can continue to serve our community. There are many ways to support the work of the Friends of Holcomb Farm, and one we urge everyone to consider is supporting the GCF’s Annual Appeal.” You can do so by visiting granbycommunityfund.com
The Friends are grateful for the support of the GCF and look forward to continuing our partnership.
Welcoming two new board members
Last month, thanks to Shirley Murtha’s great interviews and writing, we introduced two of the four new Friends’ board members. We introduce you to two more this month.
Christiane Pimentel
Although she lives quite a distance from Granby, Christiane Pimentel became very familiar with Holcomb Farm when she was hired to be the Wheeler Clinic’s Community Health Outreach Coordinator. In that capacity, she became familiar with the produce distribution made possible by a partnership with the Farm’s Fresh Access program. Working with farm personnel, she coordinates the produce list and drop-off schedules for the weekly food distribution.
The Holcomb Farm staff could see how passionate and effective Pimentel was in her position and asked her to speak at the June 2022 Fresh Access Fundraiser. Her stories about how the produce was often the only healthy food families received were heart-breaking, and the way she works with the clients (whom she calls shoppers) preserves their dignity and allows them choices. Education is paramount to Pimentel. For example, if a client rejects a certain food, she asks if they don’t like it or if they don’t know about it or how to prepare it. If they don’t like it she simply moves on. If they are unfamiliar with it she presents information about it and a curated list of recipes.
Pimentel’s overarching goal is to prevent clients from feeling that they are just receiving charity which, she says, no one wants to feel. Instead, she notes, “It is an opportunity to engage patients, educate them, address their specific needs, and include them in their health treatments and decisions.” Her passion for the program and her sensitive approach made a definite impression on the Friends and they recruited her to join the board.
On the FOFH board, Pimentel is on the Fundraising and Grants Committee and the Fresh Access Committee. Her role at Wheeler Clinic, Inc. is the associate director of grants. As such, she has garnered millions of dollars in funding to help Wheeler provide primary care, behavioral health and recovery services to medically underserved populations. She is hoping to leverage her skills in this area to help Holcomb Farm secure funding to continue growing its organic produce. She also hopes her direct client experience can help Fresh Access hone its client reach and service.
When she’s not working, this passionate person enjoys drawing “hyper-realistic portraits of family and friends and lost loved ones.” She relishes elaborate hair braiding, helping young girls to embrace their natural hair, and she is a consummate party planner and decorator of special events.
Pimentel lives with her husband and their Bichon-Havanese in Glastonbury.
Laura Midura
Laura Midura was born and raised in Easthampton, Mass. When she and her husband were looking for a place to call home, they settled in North Granby, having been attracted by the numerous hiking trails in the town. One of the first ones they visited was Holcomb Farm. As Midura homeschooled her children (now teenagers), she enrolled them in the Two Coyotes Wilderness School that takes place at the farm. After dropping the kids off, she would hike the trails with her dogs and perhaps pick up the family’s share in the CSA barn.
Midura happens to attend the same exercise facility that FOHF board member Rocky Piccirillo and his wife do. It didn’t take long for Piccirillo to suggest that she become more involved with the farm. It was perfect timing, as her younger child was about to transition to public school and Midura wanted to become more involved in the community.
Now a board member, Midura finds herself on three committees. One is the Tree Trail Stewardship group, where she enjoys hands-on activities such as clearing invasives and trail blazing. Another is Fresh Access, where she can pick fruit, bag it and do hand-outs at the Granby Senior Center. The third committee is the Community and Member Engagement Committee. In this group, she plans to organize volunteers and assist with event planning. She hopes to draw more people to the farm and encourage them to take advantage of the extensive trail system.
A licensed social worker, Midura now works for the Town of Granby as the Youth Services Program specialist for the high school WOW (We’re on the Way) group. She also coordinates the Youth Action Council, a high school community service and leadership development group.
As you can tell, Midura likes to be active outside when she is not working—hiking with her family, including the dogs, and mountain biking. She also enjoys CrossFit, dancing, reading and creating art.
Her family includes husband Mark, 16-year-old son Benji and 13-year-old daughter Sophie. (Laura wants us all to know about their youngest son, Teddy, who passed away shortly after he was born.) Their well-loved menagerie includes dogs Bayou and Scooter, cat Stitch, and two goldfish, Spot and Midnight.
Let’s get growing
Summer CSA sales are off and running, so don’t miss your chance to guarantee yourself access to Holcomb Farm’s bounty from mid-June through October. Weekly pick-ups are at your convenience Tuesdays through Saturdays and include pick-your-own opportunities not available to the public, including flowers, herbs, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, tomatillos, husk cherries, hot peppers and much more. (Membership has its advantages!) You can join the CSA online, at holcombfarm.org/join-our-csa
For those who can’t wait, our greenhouses are busy and we have two fresh opportunities for everyone:
Watch our social media pages (or your email, if a member) for a pop-up fresh spinach sale March 1 and 2, at the farm; and
Mark your calendars for the annual Lost Acres Vineyard Easter Holiday Market on Thursday, March 28, from 4 to 7 p.m.
Kudos to the Drummer for a great Puzzle Slam
The Board of the Friends sponsored not one but two teams for the inaugural Puzzle Slam, and we had a great time. Thanks to all who participated.
