HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

Good On Purpose means we take our responsibility to community seriously. We strive to empower and positively impact communities — farmers, workers, neighbors, and their kids — where we can do some good.

A Mobile Market Expanding Access to Local and Sustainable Produce

Stonyfield is committed to supporting organizations striving to advance environmental justice in the communities where we live and work. The Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) fosters food justice and sustainable agriculture through supporting refugee and immigrant farmers with access to farmland and fresh produce markets. Stonyfield donated $10,000 in 2022 and again in 2023 to support ORIS with plans to increase our giving to $20,000 in 2024. ORIS’ work makes it more convenient and affordable for residents to access locally-grown produce, helping bridge the gap between New Hampshire farmers and communities lacking access to fresh produce. Our donation supports ORIS’ Mobile Market program, a farm stand on wheels that travels directly into communities to make fresh fruits and vegetables available and accessible year-round.

Unprecedented support for organic dairy farmers in the Northeast

When 135 organic dairies in the Northeast lost vital contracts in 2021, Stonyfield played a pivotal role in establishing the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership (NOFFP). NOFFP works with brands, retailers, farmers, policymakers, and nonprofits to raise awareness about the advantages of buying local organic dairy in the Northeast. “Stonyfield’s contributions are vital; without their support, our organization would not exist” explains NOFFP Executive Director Olga Moriarty. NOFFP now includes over 30 organic dairy companies. Stonyfield has also taken the unusual step of allowing the farms in their Northeast direct milk supply to develop additional independent markets, such as selling organic milk to local schools. This allows these farms to diversify their income streams with value added products outside of the fluid milk they sell to Stonyfield.

In 2023, Stonyfield and the NOFFP supported an effort by supplier Miller Farm to sell organic milk to local schools. More than 400 elementary and high school students across 12 different schools in Westminster, Vt. started the school year in 2023 with access to new organic milk dispensers in cafeterias.

“This model of local small processors working with area schools could be replicated across the region and across the nation. It’s so important for each generation to know where food comes from: when people can draw a straight line between a product and a producer, there is built in a certain amount of accountability and trust.”

Pete miller of miller farm