Willing Hands

10/09/2026

This season, Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center's Teen Farm Fellows had the opportunity to visit Willing Hands several times as part of their service learning program. In a recent blog post, Teen Fellow Aidan wrote: "Working alongside Ehrin made each visit enjoyable, and it was rewarding to know that the work we did there was eventually helping provide people throughout the Upper Valley with fresh food. Our visits there gave us a better understanding of how farming can extend beyond growing food and can truly support the community."

Read Aidan's full blog post: https://cedarcirclefarm.org/blog/entry/teen-farm-fellows-at-willing-hands

Pictured: eggplant harvested from the Sunny Fields Garden at Cedar Circle Farm.

10/06/2026

From the VA to the garden: it's been a season of veteran connections! On a beautiful September afternoon, VA staff, Dartmouth medical students, Willing Hands staff, and veterans gathered under the pavilion at the VA campus in White River Junction for a Welcome Fall/Goodbye Summer BBQ. While Joining Forces volunteers Tom and Emilio grilled, veterans enjoyed a spread featuring watermelon from Sunny Fields and apples gleaned at Riverview. Outpatient dietitian Isabella Alessandrini shared that veterans and their families "couldn't get enough of the fresh watermelon, apples, salad, and tomatoes." Extra produce went home with veterans rather than going to waste.

Veteran Trudi Collins shared how much she's enjoyed the fresh produce through the Office of Rural Health grant-funded Veggies for Vets program this summer — especially the watermelon, radishes, and kale (her favorite way to eat it? Kale chips!). Veggies for Vets is a 16-week program where volunteers pack and distribute fresh produce to veterans facing diet-related diseases and food insecurity.

Just days later, on September 24, veterans, VA staff, and medical students gathered again—this time at the Willing Hands Garden on River Road —to harvest an estimated 1.5 tons of butternut squash together. Each volunteer found a task that fit them: some cut squash from the plants, others piled or crated the gorgeous gourds, and some focused on encouragement and passing out snacks as they shared a beautiful sunny morning out in the fields together.

Two events, one season, and a clear reminder of what Veggies for Vets is all about: connecting, honoring, and supporting veterans.

10/06/2026

Thanks to our friends, Willing Hands, for delivering 320 pounds of food for our patients during Hunger Action Month (throughout the month of September)! The food deliveries given to our organization through this partnership allow our patients to have access to healthy foods at the time of their appointment, not only in September, but year round. Without the support from our clinic, our patients have shared that they regularly worry about running out of food. We are so grateful to have opportunities like this available for our patients!!

In addition to this immediate resource, our staff work closely with those we serve to learn about their eligibility for food benefits, share more about benefit eligibility requirements, community dinners, mobile food pantries, and local food pantries near them. With food insecurity growing in Vermont and New Hampshire, we want to provide as many opportunities for access as possible! 🍎

10/04/2026

We're so excited to have Tug Mountain Pizza serving their delicious wood-fired pies at our free annual Open House this Thursday, October 8, from 4-6pm!
Learn more and RSVP at https://willinghands.org/events/

10/01/2026

We hope you’ll join us at our Annual Open House on Thursday, October 8, from 4–6 PM as we celebrate these partnerships and the people behind them. Enjoy wood-fired pizza from Tug Mountain as we connect and celebrate.

RSVP here: https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/Q6zBbIE_Fb69uiwpM3_pTw

09/30/2026

Unexpectedly, late last Wednesday afternoon, a 50+-foot truck pulled up into the Willing Hands parking lot with some naan bread. Well, not just some naan — three pallets' worth, to be exact. The long-haul driver, en route from Canada, had been told to dump the bread because many of the boxes were broken. But this thoughtful man, from Eastern Europe, couldn't bear the thought of throwing it all away. Sure, the boxes weren't pretty, but the bread was perfect and could feed a lot of people.

The driver called around and, after six long hours on the back roads of Vermont and New Hampshire, eventually made his way to Willing Hands. Scott and Chris jumped in to help him unload and then shrink-wrap the towering boxes so they could get the bread back in the freezer before sending it out to our food access partners for the next few weeks. Willing Hands is so grateful for the time and energy this delivery driver took to help feed our community.

“Naan” of this would have been possible without a driver who cared enough to go the extra mile — or extra hours. We’re so grateful!

09/29/2026

Can you help out at Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center's pumpkin festival on the 11th?

Willing Hands will be there as part of the Community Resources Hub, and we'd all appreciate your help making the event a success!

Whether you’re a local or just visiting the area, join us for this fun, family-friendly celebration of fall!

09/24/2026

We're excited to launch Shared Harvest Sessions—special Garden and Gleaning volunteer opportunities where everyone helps harvest fresh local produce for our community, and volunteers are also welcome to take home a household-size share of the harvest if they'd like.

Most of what we harvest will continue to be shared through our food access partners, while Shared Harvest helps us extend that abundance even further.

Our first two Shared Harvest sessions are now available for sign-ups:

- Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1:30-3:00pm at Riverview Farm in Plainfield, NH — Bring home a 3-pound bag of apples https://dash.pointapp.org/events/807184
- Monday, Oct. 5, 10:00-11:30am at Willing Hands River Road Garden in Norwich, VT — Bring home 1-2 squash and a bag of potatoes https://dash.pointapp.org/events/807349

Everyone is welcome—just come ready to lend a hand, enjoy time outdoors, and be part of a community working together to reduce food waste and increase access to fresh food.

Learn more about Shared Harvest Sessions: https://willinghands.org/2026/09/22/shared-harvest/

09/23/2026

There's still time to sign up for this Sunday's Botanical Printmaking & Collage Workshop to benefit Willing Hands!

Sunday, September 27, 2026 | 11:00am - 2:00pm

Join New Hampshire artist and printmaker Pam Smith on Sunday 9/27 from 11-2 for a fun, hands-on botanical printmaking workshop at Artistree Community Arts Center in Pomfret, VT. Using leaves, flowers, and other natural materials, you’ll create colorful prints and transform them into whimsical collages or your own unique works of art. Proceeds beyond workshop costs will support Willing Hands' work recovering fresh food and delivering it free of charge to more than 85 social service organizations throughout the Upper Valley.

Register at https://artistreevt.org/workshops-for-all