Dominion Energy Assists The Arc New London County's Community Supported Agriculture Program

The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation has awarded The Arc New London County $4,875 to help develop an irrigation system for its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

The Arc NLC started a CSA pilot program in 2016 as part of its Farm Stand and aquaponics micro-enterprise on Rt. 117 in Ledyard, which provides on-the-job training in agriculture/horticulture, retail sales, and customer service to men and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The pilot CSA program, in which members of the public purchase shares of a farm’s produce, proved so successful that the program needed additional land to meet the demand for shares. Use of new, additional CSA garden space has been offered by the Town of Ledyard. Through the generosity of the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, as well as a previous grant from People’s United Community Foundation, an irrigation system can be installed on the property.
 
Kathleen Stauffer, CEO of The Arc New London County, notes that the Farm Stand team has been planning a larger CSA component for over a year. “Dominion’s partnership is critical to bringing fresh, local produce into our community and for bringing jobs for people with IDD into New London County. The Town of Ledyard also has been very supportive. This support for our CSA is both humbling and truly beneficial to the region.” 
 
For more information about The Arc NLC and its programs, please contact Denise Tift at (860) 889-4435 x 116 or dtift@thearcnlc.org