Who We Are
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Our Story:
GROW Windham was founded in 2011 as a collaboration between the Willimantic Food Coop and the Town of Windham to support the development of school and community vegetable gardens in the Windham region. From three pilot sites in its first year, the program has expanded to support a range of initiatives, including GROW Windham’s own year-round high school program, the Windham Youth CORE, in which members develop leadership, career and advocacy skills through youth-led community enterprises that promote access to healthy food in the community; the Lauter Park Community Gardens, where youth and community members grow food for the community and host workshops, workdays, and community events; and facilitating community food projects, such as the Windham Community Food Network and the Willimantic Farmers’ Market.
Our staff has also expanded to include a Youth Program Coordinator, Community Farmer, and Coordinator of the Windham Community Food Network.
Our program is a cooperative, and a microcosm of our vision for the future: a community where power and resources - particularly food system resources - are sustainably produced and equitably distributed, and people work together for collective health and well-being.