These Farmer-Veterans are Growing Peace

Written by Bon Appétit Team on December 22, 2011in Community, Current Affairs, Featured, News - 0 Comments

Every year, as our holiday thank-you to our clients, the Bon Appétit Management Company makes a donation on their behalf to a food-related nonprofit. Last year, it was Wholesome Wave, which helps bring healthful, locally grown fruits and vegetables to low-income families. This year’s partner is the Farmer-Veteran Coalition, which assists recent military veterans in using their many relevant skills to become a new generation of young farmers.

We chose the Farmer-Veteran Coalition because it is working to fill two very urgent needs. At the end of this month, all American troops will have been withdrawn from Iraq. They and other U.S. military veterans are returning home to an already tough job market, and as NPR recently reported, they often have a tougher time finding employment than civilians. And although you won’t see ads on Craigslist for farmers, America has a  critical shortage of them: almost one-third of U.S. farmers are nearing retirement age.

FVC helps veterans start their businesses, buy land, and overcome disabilities —and in so doing, helps build our green economy, rebuild our rural communities, and secure a safe and healthy food supply for all.

“America desperately needs more farmers,” said Bon Appétit Management Company CEO Fedele Bauccio. “We are proud to support these men and women who, having already served their country once, are willing to do so again.”

The FVC has been kind enough to share some of the stories of the recipients of the grant with us. The veterans listed below have each been awarded a Bon Appétit Good Food Fellowship, with more to come. We at Bon Appétit are honored to be able to support the farming dreams of these incredible people, and we hope you will join us by making a donation to FVC or to one of these dozen or so worthy food-related organizations that Mark Bittman listed in his New York Times column yesterday. Their work will nourish this country far more than most storebought presents.

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