Fairgate Farm Awarded $25,000 Grant by the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded Stamford’s Fairgate Farm a $25,000 “Heaps for Health” Community Composting grant to continue and build upon the farm’s food waste diversion program. The EPA funds will enable the organic Fairgate Farm to increase organic material recovery rates and demonstrate the impact of composting on the health of the community while being environmentally responsible.

According to Vin Tufo, chief executive officer of Charter Oak Communities, “This grant allows us to step up our educational outreach focused on food waste diversion while encouraging patrons to participate in composting drop-off.”

Healthy composting is key to the Farm’s ability to promote the community and environmental health of the West Side while improving food security. This initiative connects urban residents to the agricultural origins of their food. It promotes the linkages between different sectors of the food system while stressing the importance of environmentally sustainable food production and land use practices. The project produces the essential fertilizer that supports the harvest of organic food at the farm that is distributed to volunteers and food assistance groups at no cost.

Since Fairgate Farm launched its first composting initiative with the support of a U.S. EPA Region 1 Healthy Communities grant in 2016, Stamford residents have increasingly dropped off compostable waste and food scraps at the farm. There it is placed in a compost pile to be used directly on the farm as organic fertilizer. To date, the Farm’s community composting initiative as transformed 15 tons of food waste diverted from the public landfill into a community resource benefiting gardens, schools, residents, and volunteers. With this new grant, composting efforts will continue to expand throughout the community.

Fairgate Farm is a thriving, volunteer-powered, organic urban farm that is part of the nationally-recognized Vita Health & Wellness District. In 2019 the number of volunteers and visitors to the Farm doubled with corporations, schools, and residents logging in over 1,200 volunteer hours. Its first composting initiative diverted over 6,000 pounds of food waste from local landfills. Visitors and volunteers enjoy a full schedule of community events and celebrations including cooking demos, gardening workshops, annual festivals (Earth Day, Strawberry Festival, Harvest Festival) and composting classes as well as special events for corporate groups, schools, and civic organizations. Volunteers help to grow and harvest fresh organic produce they then take home to their families; the balance (about 1,500 pounds last year) is donated to local homeless shelters, food banks and soup kitchens. The Farmers Market (open May to October) provides a retail option where patrons may purchase fresh produce at reduced prices from Fairgate Farm as well as from local family farms. The Market accepts cash, SNAP, WIC and Senior benefits and proud to offer a SNAP Matching Program with the support of the MAV Foundation.

For details about the farm, volunteering opportunities and annual events contact our Farm Manager Pete Novajosky at FairgateFarm.com or email FairgateFarm@gmail.com.

Visit www.FairgateFarm.com