By Evan Johnson
Two long-time supporters of the Vermont Farmers Food Center received recognition at the organization’s annual Harvest Festival, Sunday, Oct. 1.
Royal and Zip Barnard jointly received the 2017 Person of the Year Award. Bill Clark was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Barnard said he and his wife Zip were surprised by the award, which was a new addition this year.
“We’re not active in the board,” he said. “We’ve just been constant advocates.”
In their tenure as the publishers of the Mountain Times in Killington. the two assisted in marketing and promotions for the center as it was just getting off the ground. The two wrote press releases, ran events in the community calendar and helped spreads within their the network about a growing
“We have some skills that they don’t have, the same way that they have skills that we don’t,” he said. “We just put them to use for them however we could.”
VFFC board president Greg Cox agreed.
“They walked in different circles than farmers and they got so many people interested in what we were doing and became leaders,” he said. “They were truly a godsend in many ways.”
The recent festival also included an announcement that the Rutland Rotary Club has awarded $82,000 as part of its centennial project to VFFC to help construct a greenhouse that will be used for educational programs.
“Most people think that a farmer’s market is just a place for picking up veggies once a week,” Barnard said. “But the people the Center are working on so much more than that. These are good people. These people work from their heart,” Barnard said
Photo provided
Left to right: Royal Barnard, Bill Clark, Susan Clark and Zip Barnard display awards presented by the Vermont Farmers Food Center, Oct. 1.
