Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) relies on a group of individuals to run a farm operation. The farm is then open to other community members who can sign up for a CSA membership where they receive locally-grown produce during a harvest season.
Lynchburg Grows is a 7-acre nonprofit farm in Lynchburg that offers their own Veggie Box CSA. Over the last few seasons, they’ve improved access to the program with a scholarship offering for low-income residents. But that’s not the only new initiative Lynchburg Grows has launched recently: They now partner with Sentara to offer a Fresh Rx prescription program, and their Farm Coach mentorship program provides one-on-one coaching for their farmers with disabilities.
By Sophia Lada
Capital News Service
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced a grant opportunity for regional and value-added food systems that support local farmers, community health and the economy.
Competitors for grants of up to $100,000 to promote regional and value-added food systems have until March 18 to apply.
The grants have been awarded annually since 2016.
They’re intended to “help retain, expand, attract or develop agricultural processing” in the state by investing in equipment and technology, access to healthy food, urban gardens and regional food systems, the department said.
Heather Throne, its Grant and Commodity Program manager, said the phrase “value-added” in the title refers to the process of taking a raw commodity to make a more valuable product for consumers, such as taking locally grown cherries and making them into cherry wine or dried cherries.
Manbat’s opening weekend on Friday, January 22 will coincide with a rally of vintage and classic cars, arranged by Sharjah Old Cars Club
and Museum. The rally is open to the public, and will begin at the club at 3.30pm and proceed to Aljada, which is about a 15-minute drive away.
Other family-friendly attractions in the community include a soft play area, a skatepark and amphitheatre, and a free-to-enter drive-in cinema. Movie Nights at Aljada on Friday will screen
Night at the Museum at 8pm, and
Men in Black at 11pm.
If you’re hungry after the farmers market has shut shop post 8pm, head to Zad, a vibrant food truck village and drive-
By Rachel Forrest
Looking for options for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner on the Seacoast? If you don’t want to cook that holiday dinner, here’s a list of dine-in and takeout options for Christmas, which I will update as we near Dec. 25. If you have anything to add to this list, do email me at RForrest@Gannett.com.
New Hampshire
Roundabout Diner, Portsmouth
Their takeout holiday dinner is available Dec. 23 and 24 with a la carte appetizers, a lasagna that serves 4 to 6 ($62) and a spiral ham dinner ($120) which serves 8-12. Do keep them in mind for pies, too. roundaboutdiner.com