Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC)

The Vermont Youth Conservation Corps’ Food and Farm Program is a dynamic youth development, diversified agriculture and food security initiative. At VYCC, we believe in the power that food has to connect us to the land, our community, and each other. We engage young people in organic farming and culinary education on our historic 400-acre campus in Richmond, Vermont. Annually, the program produces 11 acres of organically certified vegetables and 600 pasture raised chickens which are distributed to 400 families through our nationally recognized Health Care Share project. The Heath Care Share is a public health initiative that connects Vermont families who experience barriers to accessing locally grown produce or have a diet-related illness with a weekly vegetable share they pick up at partnering medical centers. Each year the program provides employment opportunities to youth and young adults from Vermont and around the country who assist in the daily operations of the farm. Additionally, the program has a strong food component that connects the work we do in the field and the food on our plates, by preparing lunch from the farm every work day in the summer and sharing celebratory meals sourced from our farm with the larger community.