Farmers in Vermont and in Latin America face many of the same challenges, and events like the picnic help make that connection for people here, an organizer said.

By Busy Anderson

Food4Farmers, a Vermont-based nonprofit, wants to relieve Latin American food insecurity with gourmet burgers, hotdogs and salads.  

The third annual Food4Farmers Harvest Picnic is returning to Shelburne’s Bread and Butter Farm on Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. The dinner, prepared by Blank Page Café owner Mike Proia and his team, is a fundraiser for small-scale, rural farmers producing coffee consumed, in part, by Vermonters. 

“It’s really important to be involved in a movement that’s trying to help better the conditions for the farmers that are at the origin of some of the products that we use in our businesses,” said Proia, a former board member of the nonprofit for seven years. 

Tickets are $60 for adults, $50 for kids. Half of each purchase will be donated to Food4Farmers projects. 

The family-friendly event includes live music from The Meatpackers, a silent auction and sponsors like Vermont Bean Crafters, Ben & Jerry’s and Foam Brewers.

“We see a lot of people who appreciate the role that coffee plays in their lives and understand that there are people behind those beans,” Food4Farmers board member Laura Peterson said.

The nonprofit works specifically with coffee farmers in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Colombia whose incomes do not provide for sufficient and nutritious food.

“Los Meses Flacos,” Spanish for “the thin months,” describes the season in Latin America, usually between April and September, when many coffee farmers struggle to put food on the table, Peterson said. 

Another way to help keep coffee-farming families well fed is introducing them to trades like beekeeping, according to the nonprofit. The group’s leaders see the longevity, resiliency and sustainability of farmland in Latin America as key to easing times of financial hardship.

“We tell the coffee growers, ‘Keep producing your coffee but invest a little bit of your land to either diversify for income … or produce more food for your consumption so you can save the money,’” Food4Farmers director and cofounder Marcela Pino said.

Pino is originally from Costa Rica and acutely familiar with what little income farmers make from exporting coffee that sells at low prices.  

During her 30 years in the U.S., Pino has been struck by Vermonters’ awareness of the relationship between producers, consumers and the environment.

“Vermont has been very inspirational for me,” Pino said. “We are not separate. We are one food system.” 

Organizers hope to see around 100 guests at the picnic this year and raise between $20,000 and $25,000.

“That amount of money makes a huge difference for the coffee-farming families that we work with,” Peterson said. 

Lindsey Bolger, a Food4Farmers board member, said farmers in Vermont and those in Latin America face many of the same challenges. Events like the picnic help make that connection for people here, she said.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.