Fresh Vegetable and Sunflowers
Veggies to Table grows produce and flowers to help end hunger and bring joy to its neighbors.
For Erica Berman and her husband, Alain Ollier, helping their community is a full-time job. The couple, who for many years ran a luxury rental company in Paris, moved to Maine to start growing organic produce and flowers — with a twist: The farm, called Veggies to Table, would donate most of its yield to people in the community.
Berman says the decision came out of a simple need: One in seven adults and one in five children in the Pine Tree State don’t have enough to eat. In addition, 37 percent of Maine’s food-insecure population does not qualify for public assistance, leaving a huge gap that community pantries, summer lunch programs, and other mostly volunteer organizations must fill to keep its community fed and healthy.
The Veggies to Table farm grows everything from cucumbers, eggplants, and tomatoes to basil, kale, chard, celery, beans, peas, and garlic. The food is donated to local food banks, pantries, and summer lunch programs.
In addition, the farm grows flowers to help feed the soul. Sunflowers, zinnia, dahlias, redbeckia, celosia, and bachelor’s buttons are just some of the flowers donated to hospitals to help cheer up their patients and residents.
Volunteers help out at Veggies to Table, but maintaining a farm still takes a great deal of money. To help offset costs, Veggies to Table hosts an annual Paris and travel-themed auction fundraiser with prizes that include stays in Paris, Provence, Italy, the Swiss Alps, two different French châteaux, Maine, and Boston. In addition, there are also prizes like a le Creuset and more.
There are three ways to enter: purchasing a golden ticket, an online silent auction, and a live auction held in Maine.
By purchasing a Golden Ticket (or a few), anyone, anywhere in the world has a chance to win their choice of any of the live auction prizes without having to bid or even attend the live auction. This prize will then be pulled from the auction right before it begins. Golden tickets cost $100 each, with the opportunity to win a week in Paris, the Swiss Alps, or more unique prizes.
The Veggies to Table Silent Auction runs from August 2nd until 6 p.m. August 11th. Signing up is free and does not require live auction attendance. Silent auction items include a week in Provence, a five-day stay in the Marais, a four-day stay on the Damariscotta Lake, a stay at chic the Francis Hotel in Portland, Maine, a year-long French pastry class with Molly Wilkinson, a stay on the ocean in Boothbay Harbor, and so much more. See all Silent Auction Prizes here.
If you’re in East Boothbay, Maine on August 11th, you’re invited to attend the live auction from 4 to 8 p.m. Live auction prizes include stays in a luxury three-bedroom Paris apartment by Saint Sulpice, a five-bedroom Provence villa stay, a le Creuset chef’s oven, a private dinner on the Veggies to Table farm with the founders, a case of champagne, and more.
The goal of the annual Veggies to Table auction is to raise $300,000 to feed even more people in the coming year. The funds will be used to grow and donate more farm-fresh produce and flowers to the community, teach more families and kids how to grow and prepare healthy produce, pay their crew, and educate more students and interns on the farm. So far, Veggies to Table has raised about $34,000 toward its goal.
If you want to help feed people in your local community, Berman suggests finding a grow-to-donate farm, a food pantry, or a summer lunch program to volunteer at. “People can donate to a non-profit like us,” suggests Berman — or simply spread the word. “Just talking to people helps raise awareness,” she adds.
And, if you feel the calling to start your community farm to help feed your neighbors, Berman suggests finding a farmer or mentor to teach you the ropes. “Listen to podcasts and follow TouTube channels,” she says. In addition, know that the road is a long one. “Make sure you have a ton of time, energy, and the possibility to find volunteers and then a team to help raise money as growing to donate costs more than one would think.”
Ultimately, the benefits you will reap will be a bounty of good karma.