Please scroll down to catch up on our previous posts and to check out our wish list!
Open House Time!
October 15th
Thanks so so much to all who helped get us this far - volunteers, staff, partners and more. We had a wonderful turn out for the open house - 70 plus people joined us for the Sunday afternoon event.
Wish List of Used Items for our New Facility Space (and Office)
If you have any of theses around or come across them let us know, and if you like to check out auctions, please keep an eye out for us. Some of the items we are open to buying and of course we are happy for any to be donated if they are something that we can use. Email us at CommunityHarvestVT@gmail.com.
Buckets - 4- or 5-gallon food grade buckets
Stools - for volunteers to use while sorting, etc. Metal or wood and easy to clean ideal. Multiple heights would be great.
Folding tables - strong and easy to clean
Chest freezer - large to mid size
White board - medium size
Magnets - plain ones would be great — the coolers are all metal so magnets are perfect for putting up signs, etc.
Clip boards - we need a few more
File cabinet - 2 drawer wood if possible
Small desk - no more than 36”L x 15”D, with a way to make it standing or sitting would be cool.
Trash cans - small - we are running out of space in the facility for big ones and we just don’t have that much trash.
Apple pole pickers - do you have one you’re are not using in your shed? We can use a few more for big apple gleans.
Root Crop Washer - small and compact so we can fit it inside out space.
Industrial stainless steel sink - deep and big enough for washing crates - SECURED
Handwashing sink - small stainless steel is best - SECURED
Step ladder - Tall to reach high shelves that can fold up - SECURED
Door mat - that will collect water, mud etc. and can be hosed off - SECURED
Anti fatigue floor mats - for volunteers to stand on while they work - SECURED
Trash can - medium to large size - SECURED
Push broom - that can get wet - SECURED
Getting ready for the Open House
October 14th
Finding a place for everything, and getting it all labeled. And not just labeling it for the open house, but for staff and volunteers to keep track of things and where they go on a daily basis.
First food goes in
September 26th
The Coolbot is working - its what we use to make the AC go down to 36 degrees which keeps the walk ins at the right temp - and the cooler is ready for a load of veggies. And we get to roll it in on our new carts. YAY!
All the “gleaned” boxes are now all moved in on the reused shelves. The COOLER WITH FOOD IN IT! More storage beyond the coolers for other supplies.
Both coolers are now constructed
September 3rd
They are all put together, big doors with wheels and all. Now we can set the power and lights inside connected so we can start using them - Soon we hope!
First cooler together & Waterline dug
August 17th
Nice work team! One down one to go.
And there is finally a back hoe free to get the waterline dug.
Time to put the cooler together!
August 16th
Jim, Jim, and Steve learn about putting together coolers and start the first one.
Coolers finally arrive
August 11th
After placing the order in April and many weeks of them being almost ready we finally received our two walk in coolers. Thanks Nate Rogers for getting them off the truck for us!
The cooler panels for the first cooler all stacked up. One of the very big doors. The cooler panels moved inside ready for the next step of putting them together.
Two AC units go in
June 15th
Thanks so much Jim and Steve for your fabulous job getting the AC’s in. They are now all ready to have Coolbots hooked up to cool the 14x10 cooler boxes as soon as they arrive.
After the big leek glean in May we really made use of the big space for cleaning leeks and trimming and sorting carrots with a big group. Lots of space to get lots done all at once.
Shelves are up
April 20th
After a big shelf reconstruction day there are lots of places to put all our boxes and supplies. Lights also got put in.
Allison and Jim test out how the new (to us) shelves will best be put up before we have a lot more hands come join us to get them all up.
Garage Doors are in
March 27th
Now it’s time to focus on getting the inside all organized.
The siding is on!
March 3rd
The primed siding is now on and ready for a big painting project day once all the snow and mud is gone. Let us know if you want to join the painting crew!
The walls got a coat of paint and then we moved all the used shelving in so we can start deciding how we want to put it up. Lots of space to play with!
Not ready to move in yet, but very usable
January 20th
The first day we used the space. No electricity yet and inside painting still to be done, but it was a nice warm spot to work on a cold day.
Day 6 - The ceiling starts to go up with insulation on top. The end door gets installed. We are so excited for so much wonderful new space!
It’s Happening
January 12th
Day 5 of construction and it’s all enclosed and much of the insulation is in the walls. CHCV will be renting the left end with a garage door on the front and a door on the end. Thanks Nate and Jessie at Rogers Farmstead for building this great new space for us to rent.
From the back - so much bigger than our little green cooler! Inside walls all insulated. Full inside from our end all the way to Rogers end, no divider wall yet.
Day 3, Day 2 and Day 1 of construction
If you squint you can almost see it! The new facility is going to really increase the amount of space we have for storing all the nutritious food we recover, give us an inside space to work, and house all our supplies too.
Rafters have arrived
October 13th
The new facility will be our first real indoor space to work year-round. Currently our only workspaces are inside the small cooler (at 36 degrees) and a tiny covered porch. We’re looking forward to having more room to work with our volunteers!
Concrete is all there!
October 12th
We will get to rent the space all the way to the second green pipe on the far right, 50 by 24 feet. Rogers Farmstead will use the far end for their storage needs.
The insulation and rebar get put down before the concrete goes on. Yay Concrete Day has finally come!
The bed for the concrete gets laid with just the right angles so the floor will drain and framing to hold the concrete. Lots of steps to get it just right!
We found shelves
September 27th
While Rogers Farmstead is making progress on the new building site, we are starting to think about what will go in it.
The first thing that we happened upon were some used shelves from the State surplus sale. These shelves will eventually hold all the waxed cardboard produce boxes that we glean from local stores and reuse for all the food we glean. Currently the boxes are filling up half of a staff member’s barn.
Thanks Chris, Kevin, and Jon for helping us take them apart and get them stored until the new space is ready for them. Thanks Alex for the temporary storage space.
Drainage lines go in
September 23rd
Before the concrete pad goes down the drains and water lines have to be laid. Our new space will have floor drains and running water, what an upgrade that will be! We also plan to get a water heater and sink, so we can have hot water for washing containers and hands, and in general keep everything clean and safe for the food.
The shed is gone — thanks volunteers!
September 9th
Our little green building is all on its own, but we hope not for long.
This hard-working building, which is our cooler, has been holding most of the food we glean since the community helped us build it in 2016. it’s 140 square feet of 36 degree space. The new facility and two additional new coolers will increase our cooler space to 410 square feet with 3 possible temperature zones.
Thanks! - Carol, Carolyn, Mary, Kevin, Scott, Chris, and Tania (Cynthia and Steve not pictured) in the morning and Jon, Matt, Joe, Gail, Steve, and Ellie (Rebecca and Susan not pictured) in the afternoon. Caitlin and Allison are in both pictures as well.
Demo Day!
August 30th
We all helped Rogers Farmstead take down their old shed to make way for the new facility. It was a hot and sweaty day, but very satisfying to see so much cleared away at the end of the day.
It’s time for the old shed to go, to make way for the new space -- a new facility for CHCV and added storage space for Rogers Farmstead.