Thank You for Two Decades of Farm to School Leadership: Announcing Abbie Nelson's Retirement

Our much treasured VT FEED Program Director, Abbie Nelson, will be retiring and leaving NOFA-VT and Vermont FEED at the end of December 2019. Over the last 20 years, Abbie’s work has varied and grown. She began at NOFA with organizing an Agricultural Education Conference in 1999, developed the Farm to Community Mentor Program with Enid Wonnacott, and built our local purchasing efforts at VT FEED and through the National Farm to School Network. But more than that, Abbie’s humor, comradery, and passion for local agriculture, school nutrition, and feeding kids has benefitted all of us. 

“You helped drive a movement that I wanted to be part of. You never let up and the never ending support you have given not only to farm to school folks but the Vermont school food programs has been vital to our success. Thank you for the hours and hours of dedication to this cause and for keeping us all on our toes! You will be greatly missed!” 

— Gretchen Czaja
Healthy Foods Educator & Director
Windham Central Supervisory Union

Abbie and her husband will be moving to the DC area for an adventure in urban living and, primarily, to be closer to their three grown kids. We will be developing a job description to continue our food system work at Vermont FEED and NOFA-VT, especially Farm to School!