June 16, 2026
This spring, NOFA-VT created the Long-Handled Spoons Dinners—a micro-grant program designed to bring neighbors together to connect and explore ways to strengthen their communities over a locally-sourced meal. While the name draws inspiration from the Parable of the Long-Handled Spoons, the idea of gathering around food to cultivate community solutions goes back to the very beginnings of NOFA-VT. In 1971, a group of farmers came together in Putney, ostensibly over food, and imagined what would eventually become the organization we know today. They recognized then what we still know: together, we can do so much more than we can ever hope to accomplish alone.
As we continue to move through a world where many people don’t have the food they need, and farmers don’t receive the support they deserve, these dinners offer one way of seeding community gatherings that can spark meaningful action toward our collective vision of a Vermont that is home to thriving farms and agriculturally-rooted communities that support the long-term wellbeing of the earth and all its people. From a long lineage of breaking bread together, we are continuing to fuel this movement today, meal by meal.
In late February, NOFA-VT opened applications for the first round of Long Handled Spoons Dinner micro-grants. By early March, we had received 175 applications. Thanks to generous support from King Arthur Baking Company and The Alchemist, we were able to award twenty-eight $200 micro-grants to members across the state.
Applications came from a wide range of members—from those deeply involved in the organic food movement to others just beginning to explore it. Many applications shared experiences of isolation or a desire to build stronger networks of community care and safety, seeing the dinners as an opportunity to finally introduce themselves to neighbors they had previously only waved to in passing. Applications were submitted from every corner of Vermont, and we were able to award at least one micro-grant in each county! Awardees received a hosting guide that included resources, suggestions for sourcing local, organic food, and potential conversation starters to support meaningful gatherings. The dinners took place throughout March and April, and we have been excited to hear stories from our member-hosts about their gatherings.
Stories From the First Long-Handled Spoons Dinners
“We pulled together friends and neighbors to make food that takes a long time. Pot roast, beans, bread. Stuff that you make when people are around you to lighten the load of making (and eating!)”
“What a joy to remember that we are not alone. Food is a bridge, and a good meal can stick for a long time.”
“It felt good to do something positive and powerful in our community.”
“The conversation was full of ideas and suggestions for our kids, elderly, and single dad and moms, pregnant moms and others in the community.
We had 16 people here at our home and still had left overs so we packed up an extra 6 meals and hit the streets to give to the homeless who we knew would be in Swanton Village and downtown St. Albans.”
“Life can be busy, and this gave us a reason to slow down, gather, and connect with our community.”
“There is truly nothing quite like bringing community together over food.”
“The topics of discussion ranged from our personal stories to community building ideas and resource sharing among neighbors.”
“It allowed us to share some of our Colombian food heritage while connecting with neighbors and supporting local farmers and producers.
Making connections with our neighbors seems like such a simple thing, but it’s what allows us to build bridges, overcome and celebrate differences, and build a network of local resilience and compassion.”
"Our long handle spoon grant helped to build community and start conversations about what is next for us to create at our community center."
“We live in an apartment building and we invited all the apartments on the floor.”
“We were able to use almost 100% local ingredients (excluding salt, pepper, yeast, and lemon juice).
We discussed neighborliness as a sense of community that transcends lifestyle and belief system.”
“We enjoyed driving around and seeing so many of our local farmers, many who we already knew but hadn’t had much time to explore their products.”
“We spent the late afternoon together peeling chickpeas and sharing stories from our respective farms.”
Community gatherings have long been a source of important solutions in Vermont—from neighbors organizing the first farmers markets in the 1970s, to farmers developing organic certification programs before the national program existed, to parents and farmers reaching out to their kids’ schools to bring local food into the cafeterias and students onto farms, helping lay the groundwork for the farm to school movement more than twenty-five years ago.
And, for folks who are interested and able, you’re absolutely welcome to host a self-funded Long-Handled Spoons gathering sooner—no gatekeeping delicious, generative dinner parties over here! You can use our Long-Handled Spoons Dinner guide or create a different kind of gathering to build community, raise resources, or organize around a specific issue. Together, we’re continually building a more sustainable, just food system in Vermont! Go to nofavt.org/spoons for more guidance and information.