Editor’s note: This op-ed is by Don Keelan, a certified public accountant who lives in Arlington.
The enemy that Roger Preuss of Manchester, Vt., must contend with this summer is far different from the adversary he was trained to deal with as a U.S. Marine during the Vietnam era. To achieve his objective in 2011, he must overcome the double threat of weather and weeds.
Roger, who is 70 years old and since 1979 the owner of Manchester’s Equinox Valley Nursery, has as his objective the planting, cultivating, harvesting, sorting and delivery of 9,000 pounds of vegetables to the Manchester Community Food Cupboard. His self-imposed objective is 15 percent greater than that of last year.
His harvest is a smorgasbord of vegetables. They include broccoli, carrots, spinach, potatoes, radishes, beets, tomatoes, zucchini and, of course, string beans. Left to his own accord, he would also produce and deliver to the Food Cupboard kohlrabi, but it would also require him to provide recipes on how it should be prepared and cooked — something he and his wife, Penny, had done — back when the harvest was much smaller and the families in need were far less.
Manchester — and its environs are not unlike other regions of Vermont. The area’s economy continues to feel the impact of the recession — stores have closed, tourism has declined and the real estate market for re-sales and new homes has decreased dramatically from where it once was.
Emmy McCusker, president of the Manchester Community Food Cupboard’s nonprofit organization, recently noted there are presently 331 families utilizing the Food Cupboard’s services during the three weekly time periods that the center is open. She also noted there are about 700- plus residents of the 12 surrounding communities that draw on the packaged food and fresh vegetables made available at the Food Cupboard, which is located in Manchester’s Town Hall.
Roger and Penny have been quietly carrying out their goal of providing fresh organic/fertilized vegetables since 2001. They are aided by their daughter Jennifer, their grandson Ryan and granddaughter Ashley, along with 15 core volunteers who join them to do battle with the weeds and the weather.
A huge enabler to Roger’s vegetable effort is the national trade organization, Garden Writers of America. It was the organization’s motto, “Plant a row for the hungry,” that inspired Roger to do something locally; he just had no idea how large his commitment would become. And it is from GWA that the fertilizer, soils and seeds come and that are placed upon the four-plus acres of Roger’s nursery that he devotes to growing vegetables, solely for the Community Food Cupboard.
The Preusses are quick to give credit to another local Manchester benefactor, Don Dorr, whose contribution of dozens of hay bales act as a significant weapon in fighting the weeds.
The providing of fresh vegetables to the Food Cupboard is just a part, a critical part, of what is done on a daily basis at Equinox Valley Nursery. It is a full-fledged nursery and occupies Roger and Penny’s time for most of the year.
It wasn’t too many years ago that Manchester, Dorset, Winhall, Peru and Londonderry were referred to as “Gold Towns” — meaning, for school tax purposes, “they have it and we want it.” Today, hundreds of residents of these towns, along with seven other towns, are the grateful recipients of the efforts of Roger Preuss and his corps of volunteer pickers.
There is no such thing as a “Gold Town” — there are just towns — some of which may be a bit better off economically than others. But make no mistake about it, every town in Vermont has families who are in need. What is needed is a cessation of assigning labels and more Roger Preusses.
It has been said “that a few loaves of bread and several fish feed close to 5,000.” Roger Preuss’ tireless efforts, from early spring through late fall, along with a few bags of seed, bring a degree of sustenance to hundreds of area families. Roger and his corps of volunteers are indeed doing, ever so quietly, the Lord’s work.
