About Us
Real Food CT, founded in 2019, is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Newtown, CT. We expand access to local food through our nonprofit Food Hub and Farm operations, connecting Connecticut farms and food access organizations to distribute locally grown food throughout Fairfield, Litchfield. and New Haven counties.
- We manage multiple community garden and farm sites in Newtown, producing food with our dedicated Farm and Food crew and seasonal internship program.
- We partner with CT farmers connecting locally grown food with service centers, institutions, food access and emergency assistance programs.
- We provide technical assistance, agricultural development and experiential learning opportunities mobilizing community leaders to cultivate transformative food systems change.
- We operate a Food Hub, providing a marketplace and distribution services for locally grown agricultural products with farms and food purchasing partners.
2024 Milestones
Vision, Mission & Values
Vision: We believe everyone deserves access to healthy food.
Mission: Real Food CT tackles rising food insecurity by connecting regional farms, including our own, to provide healthy options for vulnerable populations. We train young farmer interns, mobilize food system partnerships, and maximize our regional farm network to make sure locally grown produce goes where it is needed most. Focused on sustainability, we advocate for improved local infrastructure, envisioning a robust food hub to efficiently connect farmers with hunger relief, schools, hospitals, and healthcare initiatives.to as many people as possible.
Our Partners
We work and collaborate with stakeholders throughout our local and regional food systems and value-chains. Our partnerships include farmers, food access organizations, community centers, educational institutions, farm and food businesses and non-profits, and policy-makers.
Production Partners
Real Food CT currently manages two farm locations:
Sticks and Stones Farm
171 Huntingtown Road, Newtown, CT
This farm is our home base as the site of our Food Hub operations for local food procurement, in addition to a 10,000 square foot giving garden managed by our team to produce and distribute food donations.
2024 is the first full year of food hub operations, and the first year of year-round farm and garden production. We are so excited for our continued growth and what is to come.
The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary
3 Old Farm Road, Newtown, CT
This inspiring non-profit organization is developing a beautiful sanctuary and education center in honor of Catherine’s kind spirit and love for animals.
We are managing the CVH garden of 30 large raised beds covering 30,000 square feet, growing a wide variety of fruits and vegetables for donation including strawberries, blueberries and asparagus.
Donation Partners
Local farmers and other producers who donated their excess harvest:
- Clover Nook Farm – Bethany CT
- Sport Hill Farm – Easton, CT
- Shortt’s Farm – Newtown, CT
- Newtown Victory Garden – Newtown, CT
- Gazy Brothers – Oxford, CT
- Laurel Glen Farm – Shelton, CT
- Hidden Gem Orchard – Southbury, CT
- Daffodil Hill – Southbury, CT
- Waldingfield Farm – Washington, CT
- Fort Hill Farm, New Milford, CT
- Hungry Reaper Farm, Morristown, CT
- Sunset Farm, Naugatuck, CT
Work-Study Partner, Young Farmers
- University of Connecticut
Donation Recipients
- Community Food Rescue – Danbury, CT
- Sterling House Community Center – Stratford, CT
- Bridgeport Rescue Mission – Bridgeport, CT
- Newtown Senior Center – Newtown, CT
- FAITH Food Pantry – Newtown, CT
- Food Farmacy – Danbury, CT
- Southbury Food Pantry – Southbury, CT
- Monroe Food Pantry – Monroe, CT
- Fridgeport, Bridgeport, CT
- Newtown Congregational Church – Newtown, CT
- Walnut Hill Community Church – Bethel, CT
- Wilton Food Pantry – Wilton, CT
- Little Free Pantry on Skokorat – Seymour, CT
Distribution Partners
- U.S. Food Rescue
History
2019
In 2019, a small team of volunteers began the restoration of a 10,000 square-foot garden at Sticks and Stones Farm in Newtown, CT. From that land, we produced and donated 700 pounds of food to local food pantries, senior centers, and other residents in need. In addition, Real Food CT partnered with the Newtown High School Greenery class. From their garden, we collected and donated 100 pounds of harvest that would otherwise have gone to waste in the summer heat.
2020
In 2020, Real Food CT established itself as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and raised over $40,000 through grants, private donations, and the Sustainable CT Match Fund. We used the funds to add infrastructure including a season-extending hoop house run on donated solar panels, two farm stands, irrigation, seeds, farm supplies, and summer internships for college and high school students.
We teamed up with the CVH Animal Sanctuary and transformed their 30,000 square-foot area of 30 raised beds into a production garden. We kicked off our Farm surplus program, adding 3 donation partners. Between our own production gardens and our donation partners, we donated a total of 10,000 pounds of food.
2021
In 2021, we ramped up our donation network to 14 Farmers donating excess produce, 4 Farmers Markets, and 12 recipient organizations in 8 surrounding towns. We extended our irrigation, added refrigeration to our farm stand at Sticks and Stones, and received the generous donation of a delivery van. We were able to hire and train six new interns in our Young Farmer Training program.
This year we hosted our first annual fundraising event, the “Seed-To-Table Fall Celebration”. The sold-out event featured local chefs preparing delicious, healthy dishes made from ingredients donated by local Farms and other local food producers.
2022
For the second year in a row, we donated over 30,000 lbs of locally grown, fresh produce to hunger relief organizations in our region. We were awarded a CT Department of Agriculture Farm Viability Grant to help us complete our “Small Farm Model” at Sticks and Stones Farm and work on a process to duplicate it in our region, with a priority on areas that don’t have access to farming opportunities.
We added a full-sized greenhouse and new tractor at the farm, kicked off our Little Sprouts garden program, and enjoyed another incredible season of internships, volunteers, and community service.
2023
For the third year in a row, we donated over 30,000 lbs of locally grown, fresh produce to our network. We now work with 20 farm partners and 15 different hunger relief organizations in our Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven counties. 2023 brought seven new board members to our team focused on making our efforts sustainable and expanding our reach in the future.
We ran our first Food Hub pilot to purchase food from our network of farmers to deliver to hunger relief partners with an organization called Meals on Main Street. U.S. Food Rescue also became a delivery partner for surplus produce. We kicked off our first Family Farm and Fun Day and began to roadmap our future food and farm ecosystem.
2024
2024 marked a year of major growth and impact for Real Food CT. With support from state grants, we added a refrigerated truck and upgraded our Food Hub infrastructure—doubling our gleaning efforts to 19,000 lbs and moving a record 50,000 lbs of food to pantries across 17 towns. We also piloted a farm-to-pantry purchasing program and launched new events like Family Farm & Fun Day, bringing our mission to more people than ever.
We also strengthened our team and farm operations. We welcomed new board members, hired key staff, and hosted our first winter greenhouse season at Sticks and Stones Farm. Thanks to incredible community support and partnerships, especially with Food Rescue US, we were able to deliver more fresh, local food where it’s needed most—and we’re just getting started.
Our Team
We are a dedicated group of individuals bound by a shared passion for farming, a giving spirit, and a deep desire to create a more just and sustainable food system. We work tirelessly to connect local farms with communities in need, ensuring that everyone has access to fresh, healthy, and locally grown food.
If you share our vision and are interested in contributing your skills and passion to our mission, we invite you to consider joining our Board of Directors. Please reach out to Sean at sean@realfoodct.org to learn more about available opportunities.
OUR TEAM
Executive Director
Sean Fitzpatrick
Operations Director
Kim Cosar
Facilities Director
David Haze
Head Farmer and Educator
Nancy Zychek
Administrative & Communications Director
Jessi Ruotolo
Food Hub Delivery Driver
Guario Vargas
Board of Directors
Chip Parrish, President
Keric Kenny, Vice President
Kim Roberts, Secretary
Mary Jascha, Treasurer
David Haze
