How do we make local farm to pantry donations permanent in CT?
As Real Food CT enters its next chapter, we are stepping back to look forward. Over the past six years, our team, partners, and volunteers have transformed an idea into a working regional network that connects small farms with food access organizations across Connecticut. Now in our sixth season, we’ve built two community farm sites, recovered and delivered more than 250,000 pounds of local produce to over 30 regional food pantries, and developed partnerships that make healthy, locally grown food available to thousands of families.
But growth brings new questions and new opportunities. How do we sustain this momentum? How do we continue to build and strengthen a nonprofit organization that performs such an essential service? What infrastructure do we need to double our impact? How do we build leadership and funding models that last for the next decade?
Why Now
We’ve reached an inflection point as an organization. Our gleaning and surplus recovery work continues to expand, and the food hub infrastructure we’re developing will require coordinated systems, stronger governance, and steady financial footing. Strategic planning gives us the space to answer these questions thoughtfully and collaboratively, ensuring Real Food CT continues to serve as a cornerstone of Connecticut’s local food system.
We see an obvious and urgent need for sustainable local food system businesses, ones that don’t just “get by” on grants and thin margins, but stand as thriving examples of farm service ecosystems that uplift supporting programs like farm to school, food donations, and other food access initiatives.
Our Partners in Planning
To help us chart this course, we’ve launched two strategic planning cohorts this fall.
UConn Encore Fellows – We’re working with two Encore Program fellows who are using this UConn initiative as a bridge from private sector careers into nonprofit leadership. They’re assisting in business analysis and helping to shape the cornerstones of our strategic planning initiative.
Sacred Heart University MBA Students – We’re partnering with an MBA class that uses real world project development as part of its curriculum. Our cohort of seven students is focused on market analysis, funding opportunities, and long term growth models for an expanded version of our farm to service work, exploring new opportunities within Connecticut’s regional economic development landscape.
These partnerships combine academic insight and real world experience, creating a powerful foundation for innovation and execution.
Our Focus Areas
Over the next several months, the planning teams will help us:
- Evaluate our core programs and identify opportunities for sustainable scaling.
- Identify revenue based agricultural models that can become landmark businesses while strengthening the local food system and our regional farm to pantry services.
- Clarify governance and leadership priorities, including new board recruitment and committee structures.
- Explore funding and investment strategies to sustain our current programs and seed future growth.
An Invitation to Participate
This process is not just about internal planning. It’s about building a broader community of people who care deeply about food access, local farms, and regional resilience. As we look toward 2026, we’ll be inviting new board members, committee participants, and community partners to help bring this vision to life.
If you’re passionate about food equity, public health, or regenerative agriculture, or if you have skills in finance, business development, communications, or logistics, we’d love to connect. This is the time to get involved and help shape the next era of Real Food CT.
What’s Next
Throughout the fall, we’ll share updates from our planning sessions with UConn and SHU, highlight insights from the field, and open conversations about where Real Food CT can have the greatest long term impact.
Follow along here and on LinkedIn for progress updates, stories from our planning partners, and opportunities to join this effort as we grow the next generation of Real Food CT leaders.
