Year: 2022

Citation:

Virginia has dedicated much of her career to facilitating the connection between the earth, agriculture, education and community well-being. While serving as Director of Community Based Programs at Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming, Cold Spring, New York, she was integral in the development of the Keep Farming program. Among other things, this program helped communities define how farming and agriculture could be fundamental in supporting a strong economy. Training, apprentice programs and a farm incubator program for young, entrepreneurs interested in sustainable farming followed.

Following her over fourteen years at Glynwood, Virginia joined the Downing Park Urban Farm, Newburgh, New York, as Outreach Coordinator. Here she continued her life’s work of connecting the dots between earth and well-being. Working in an area of great poverty, where 56% of students were on school feeding programs, she set her goals on providing fresh food to the food insecure, youth education, mentorship and employment programs. Additionally under her leadership the farm coordinated and supported efforts around food justice, urban agriculture and community gardening within the city.

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