Read Courtney's Story
How Courtney went from job seeker to seasoned food steward
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"Yeah I mean I think it's just, it's a continual education and a continual reminder of the really inequitable systems that we have in our country related to not just food access but access to everything.
But also just like you asked me earlier if Farm to Heart is giving me hope it's also really inspiring to see creative solutions and partnerships that both April and the Farm to Heart people are coming up with.
That you know, where they're working around some of those barriers and really making some local. Doing a lot of really good, measurable good."
Welcome to Community Voices
Uplifting stories that showcase the unique and joyful experiences of our community within Farm to Heart (and beyond). Read on to discover how we partner with our members to co-create a food system that nurtures, reduces waste, and builds a thriving community.
Meet Courtney Bauman
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“The Farm was definitely a place that just like you know welcomes people in whatever way they can be involved.
I think it's one of the things that has made the farm itself and Farm to Heart and just Brad and their work so successful.
Just really create a welcoming space where folks can participate and be a part.”
Courtney is a dedicated supporter and partner ofthe Farm to Heart initiative. Bauman firstconnected with the April Joy Farm in 2011 and hasa storied and beautiful history with the farm.
Over the years, and after moving out of state, Courtney has stayed involved with the farm and its initiativein various roles, including email marketing, working as a farm hand, and helping with distribution forthe program.
Background
Before connecting with April Joy Farm in 2011, Courtney was a graduate student studying in Vermont. There is where she first got involved with agriculture and planted the seeds of her growing interest in Food Justice.
After spending time at another farm, Courtney wanted to continue this rewarding work in a new space." I just got really [interested] during grad school, interested in food justice and...and farming and all kinds of issues in our society, how folks don't have equitable access to healthy food and so forth.
And yeah, that's kind of where it all started, and I was able to continue that work at the farm."That is when Courtney saw a job posting that would change her early career trajectory. Responding to a job ad from the April Joy Farm would set the wheels in motion for creating new and exciting opportunities that allowed Courtney to dive even deeper into taking action to fight against food inequality and make a lasting impact.
Taking the work even farther
The work Courtney was doing before was rewarding, but even within a more equitable model, there was still more work to do. Local organic food in this country is definitely considered, and I guess it is something that is mostly accessible to people who have a lot of money that they can spend on, you know, accessing local healthy food.
Even through a CSA model, accessing organic food isn't always accessible for the average person. From its early origins, Courtney witnessed April and the entire team's dedication to cultivating change and growing a thriving food ecosystem that nourishes its community—decades before the launch of Farm to Heart
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I think April she certainly can tell you more about it from the beginning of her sort of starting the farm and starting her CSA,
I think it's been a priority for her to find ways to make the food from the farm and participate in the CSA accessible to all kinds of folks.
Doing measurable good
Courtney aligns most with those supporting local farmers and others like artisans and vendors when it comes to supporting any initiative.
With the Farm to Heart, I just think the focus on equitable access to healthy food and the recognition that the way our society and systems are set up makes accessing, not just food, but all kinds of other things, you know, really difficult for some communities.
And so I want to support work that is happening to address those things.
Not only that but what Courtney also values in this initiative is its commitment to providing several opportunities and ways to contribute—not just monetarily.
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And that's definitely something that I would say is that makes the farm and Farm to Heart successful and one of April and Brad's like gifts just in what,
one of the things that they're really good at which is you know April's got this very they have this very dedicated group of CSA members who are invested in the farm.
April and Brad in the whole team at the farm have done a great job of educating those CSA members about the Farm to Heart initiative and involving them as well.
So I think the if you're a CSA member at of the farm or a Farm to Heart it's like you are you're in the sort of like family or community of people.
It's more than a transactional situation where you're just like getting vegetables from them or maybe they're like sending you some recipes or whatever like I would say it's much more comprehensive than that.
And the farm itself they're just so many so many folks who have a role to play whatever it is and I'm sure you're talking to many of those other people if it's you know,
April and Brad are just good at it's like what you know what do you have.
Ultimately, Farm to Heart's deep focus on providing equitable access remains at the forefront of why it is the right fit for Courtney.
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But I just think that the involvement, the location in the Fruit Valley Community, the involvement of the community, you know it's not just like farmers growing food and then like dropping it off and leaving.
Like there is like a real investment and I think that that shows to just in they've been running Farm to Heart now for several years
and the community participation in the program and. And like how I'm not sure what the statistics are but how you know so many of the same families participate year after year, after year and you know so they're clearly just doing a lot of things right. to involve folks, so that they're you know they're everybody from the farmers to the participants to the Fruit Valley Resource Center and everybody is invested.
Participants who really feel like they are a part of the initiative.
Building a lasting impact
Courtney has a remarkable journey with Farm to Heart and the April Joy Farm. When reflecting on her time in and around the farm, she recalls fond memories, but how much, her connection to the farm and initiative has shaped her life over the years stands out.
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It's such a huge part of my life even though for the last eleven or twelve years,
I haven't even lived in anywhere near the farm, I live in Texas but I've still just stayed connected even though
I might only visit once a year sometimes for a longer time sometimes for a shorter time like I still feel part of the farm.
And I feel so welcomed anytime I come back. And so it's been like a huge part of. It's a huge part of my life.
And I feel like you know, it will be for as long as for as long as the farm exists or for as long as I exist it's a it's a long term relationship so to I guess to distill it into how it's impacted my life it's just been.
You know, I don't like currently I don't work in food and farming anymore like as a profession but I still. Feel you know like that is part of who I am and maybe not part of my everyday life so much but I still feel so connected to it.
Courtney truly believes that the farm is doing, especially within the initiative, is innovative and has the potential to spread even more measurable good in other places. "I think that initiatives like Farm to Heart or specifically Farm to Heart are potentially replicable in other communities. And so I think there's just some opportunity to learn from what's happening in that initiative, elaborate and even expand what's happening there and other places.”
Although Courtney isn't working as directly with the farm these days, she thinks part of what makes the space they create so special is how many opportunities there are to contribute, big or small, and celebrated equally.
"I think that's also something that's really special about how April and Brad run the farm and the kind of space that they create, like even if it somebody like me, who shows up like once a year, like helps out a little genuinely appreciative of what anybody can contribute and do a really good job of like just like acknowledging that everybody is a part of the farm."
Farm to Heart is a community effort built with partnerships we've nurtured along the way, just like the ones we've made with Courtney, whose contributions help us continue our mission to grow a thriving food ecosystem that nourishes its community with love and support.
Thank you, Courtney for sharing your story with us!
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