Can you stand the prices of vegetables at local stores? No? Well, Gael Roots Community Farm, a community farm in this hamlet has a solution for that. Iris Gillingham, the farm’s owner, has opened a pay-what-you-can farm stand at 734 Cattail Road in the Manor.

The motivation behind the pay-what-you-can farm stand is to make vegetables more accessible and less expensive for those who cannot afford the prices at stores nearby. There is a set price range and people can choose to pay what they can afford within that price range. All of the items for sale at the stand have a minimum to maximum price for buyers. For example, kale is two to four dollars a bunch, and people pay whatever in that range works for their situation.

“Not everyone can afford the farmers market or grocery stores prices, and we want to make sure that people have access to locally produced vegetables,” Gillingham said.

According to Gillingham, the farm stand has become a community hub for residents to gather and meet their neighbors, while also getting affordable food. “At Gael Roots, we believe in fresh food access for the Town of Rockland, and in giving back to our community,” she said.

Gillingham grew up just down the road from Gael Roots at her family’s farm, an off-the-grid compound called Wild Roots Farm. Gillingham has a strong love and passion for the community, and has even taken vegetables from the farm stand to stock Calliope & Gael Grocers, a food pantry at 62 Main Street, run collaboratively by the farm and Calliope-on-Main.

I’m an intern at Gael Roots, and I have seen first hand the passion and love for the community everyone involved with the farm and food pantry has. The farm stand has brought people closer and supplied good, nutritious food to the community. Every Saturday during the season, Gillingham opens the farm stand from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with an occasional event, such as tea with the sheep or a farm tour, to go with it.

For more about the farm and the farm stand, visit gaelrootsfarm.org.

Regional Food Bank Partners with Gael Roots

On Thursday, July 9, the Regional Food Bank of Hudson Valley partnered with the local food pantry, Calliope & Gael Grocers to distribute food to those in need in Livingston Manor. The event also featured a barbecue and a free farmers market, and was a great success, with an estimated 200 or more people attending. It was staffed by many local volunteers and food bank workers, and catered to anyone, regardless of age, while carefully observing anonymity. People who attended were able to stock up on fresh produce as well as canned and dried goods, and the immediate food needs of many were met.