2020 Annual Report
Sustaining Donor Challenge
Farm to School Reflections
New England Cheese Hits the Road
Employee Giving Success
Round up For Food Connects
The Monadnock Restaurant Project Receives Praise
April 2021 Quarterly Newsletter
Strategic Planning
Sprouting in the Classroom
20 New Producers from 2020
Vermont Food Ways
Monadnock Restaurant Project
VT Harvest of the Month
Phase Two of the Monadnock Restaurant Project Launching Soon
KEENE, NH - In early February, The Local Crowd Monadnock, Culinary Journeys, and Food Connects partnered to launch the Monadnock Restaurant Project, a homegrown stimulus program to help give the local restaurant economy the shot in the arm it needs to get through this winter.
According to the National Restaurant Association, more than 69,500 individuals worked in restaurant and foodservice jobs in New Hampshire before the pandemic—representing 10% of the state’s total employment. However, more than 200 NH restaurants have permanently closed since last March. The Monadnock Restaurant Project looks to inspire community support for local restaurant owners and their employees to keep these businesses open, and their staff retained.
In one month, the project dispersed over 600 gift cards from 25 local restaurants to employers, including C&S Wholesale Grocers, Nanotech, and Savings Bank of Walpole. These businesses shared these gift cards with their staff and asked them to spend the cards quickly, providing an immediate shot in the arm to Keene's local economy this winter. The Keene Sentinel and Monadnock Broadcasting Group also distributed gift cards to community members through contests and giveaways.
Organizers are fundraising for the project through The Local Crowd Monadnock's community-based crowdfunding program. Currently, they have raised 82% of their overall goal of $30,000. Culinary Journey's contributed $10,000 to start this project, and eighty-two community supporters have donated an additional $14,500. This crowdfunding campaign continues through March: give.communityfunded.com/o/tlcmonadnock/i/tlc/s/stimulus.
The funds raised will be used to purchase a second round of gift cards from local restaurants and food businesses in the Keene area, businesses not included in phase one of the project.
The project also aspires to inspire others to pay it forward to support the local restaurant economy. Businesses such as The Richards Group, Historical Society of Cheshire County, and Northern Lights Cheerleading have launched their own efforts to support the Monadnock Restaurant Project movement.
“These cards are not gifts but a call to action,” said Luca Paris, owner of Luca's Mediterranean Café. “We anticipate that community members will spend at least twice the amount of what their gift card is worth, doubling the project’s impact by infusing $60,000 to these cash-strapped businesses. The more we spend locally, the more dollars we reinvest in our local economy!”
Learn more about the Monadnock Restaurant Project at tlcmonadnock.com/stimulus.
The Local Crowd Monadnock
The Local Crowd Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding program helping start-up ventures, early-growth stage companies, and community-focused projects find access to capital. Since TLC Monadnock launched in March 2017, twenty-six crowdfunding campaigns have collectively raised over $230,000 from 1,990 supporters: tlcmonadnock.com.
Culinary Journeys
Culinary Journeys offers scholarships to culinary arts students from the Cheshire Career Center at Keene High School. Learn more on their Facebook Page.
Food Connects
Food Connects is an entrepreneurial non-profit that delivers locally produced food as well as educational and consulting services aimed at transforming local food systems. The Food Hub aggregates and delivers from over 115 local farms and food producers to over 195 buyers in southeast Vermont, southwest New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts. Their educational services focus Farm to School programming. Acknowledged as a statewide leader, the program supports over 30 schools to increase local food purchasing, school meal participation, and food, farm, and nutrition education. Together these core programs contribute to a vibrant local economy by increasing local food purchases by schools and improving students’ nutrition and academic performance. Additionally, Food Connects is frequently hired to provide leadership and consulting services for efforts aimed at transforming local food systems in the New England region: foodconnects.org.
Restaurants to Receive Homegrown Stimulus Program this Winter
Eat, Drink and Build Community
KEENE, NH - The Local Crowd Monadnock, Culinary Journeys, and Food Connects will partner to launch The Monadnock Restaurant Project, a homegrown stimulus effort. On February 3, 2021, from 12 p.m - 12:30 p.m., organizers will hold a press conference to introduce this project and answer questions. To receive a link, please register here.
Missed the press conference? View it here!
This project will invest $10,000 and purchase gift cards from participating locally-owned restaurants. Organizers plan to strategically disperse these gift cards to community members who will spend these cards quickly, providing an immediate shot in the arm to Keene's local economy this winter.
"It could be a really rough few months for our fellow restaurateurs and if we don't do something soon, we could lose some of the businesses on the edge," said Luca Paris, owner of Luca's Mediterranean Café. "We can’t wait for someone else to help us. Eat, drink and build community! Let's do this as a community—quickly and safely."
Organizers anticipate that community members will spend twice the amount of their gift cards when redeemed, doubling the impact of this project by infusing $20,000 to these cash-strapped businesses.
According to the Monadnock Indie Impact Study, locally-owned retailers return 62.4% of their revenue to the local economy, while national chain retailers return just 13.6% of revenue—meaning that locally owned businesses return over 4x more money to the local economy compared to chain retailers. Dispersing $10,000 in gift cards will lead to at least $40,000 in economic activity, an immediate stimulus that can be replicated in other parts of the region.
Learn more at tlcmonadnock.com/stimulus.
The Local Crowd Monadnock
The Local Crowd Monadnock is a community-based crowdfunding program helping start-up ventures, early-growth stage companies and community-focused projects find access to capital. Since TLC Monadnock launched in March 2017, twenty-six crowdfunding campaigns have collectively raised over $230,000 from 1,990 supporters: tlcmonadnock.com.
Culinary Journeys
Culinary Journeys offers scholarships to culinary students from the Cheshire Career Center at Keene High School.
Food Connects
Food Connects is an entrepreneurial non-profit that delivers locally produced food as well as educational and consulting services aimed at transforming local food systems. The Food Hub aggregates and delivers from over 115 local farms and food producers to over 195 buyers in southeast Vermont, southwest New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts. Their educational services focus Farm to School programming. Acknowledged as a statewide leader, the program supports over 30 schools to increase local food purchasing, school meal participation, and food, farm, and nutrition education. Together these core programs contribute to a vibrant local economy by increasing local food purchases by schools and improving students’ nutrition and academic performance. Additionally, Food Connects is frequently hired to provide leadership and consulting services for efforts aimed at transforming local food systems in the New England region.