Irene and the Aftermath: Thoughts and Photos

In the midst of this very long, surreal week, support from the community has buoyed our spirits.  As each emotional day has curved by since the rise and fall of the river, my own sprits have risen and fallen many times.  They rise when I try to make my way through City Market and person after person grabs me for a hug; they fall as I wander through our fields, discovering trenches gouged by the river and crops flattened by mud and debris.  They rise as I snack on a piece of banana bread from a woman I've never even met, and fall again as I scrape mud from the floor of our office, crushing lavender in my hands to combat the stench carried by the thick Winooski.  They rise again as I walk into our storage room where there are pallets of tomatoes and mounds of onions, harvested by the hands of friends and volunteers, and fall when I tearfully tell another member that we're not sure we'll have crops to complete the Summer Share. In the midst of our community are some gifted writers and photographers documenting the flooding.  We'll try to keep links to the media updated on our "news and events" page.  Several fundraisers for farm recovery are in the works as well, so please keep checking in for updates.  In the meantime, check out ICF Board Member Meg Klepack's blog post for City Market; Natalie Stultz's photos; and farm member Melissa Pasanen's article in Sunday's Free Press.  There are also some powerful photos of ICF during the flood in Seven Days and the Burlington Free Press.  Also, check out this AMAZING time lapse video of our neighboring farm, Diggers' Mirth.

Donations to assist with farm recovery for Intervale Farms can be made through the Intervale Center's Farmer Recovery Fund.