Greater Carlisle Project

Type: Food & Farms

  • Partnership for Better Health

    Partnership for Better Health

    Each year, the Partnership for Better Health invests more than $2 million in grants and initiatives to advance the health of our region. As a community health foundation, thousands of lives have been touched by our work.

    We strive to create sustainable solutions to some of today’s toughest health challenges. Our major goals are to promote healthy lifestyles and increase access to affordable, quality health care throughout parts of Cumberland, Perry, Adams and Franklin Counties. We are proud to support The Greater Carlisle Project and value it as an opportunity to join with many others in creating a more livable community.

  • South Mountain Partnership

    South Mountain Partnership

  • New Life Community Churches- Carlisle

    New Life Community Churches- Carlisle

    We are a church that highly values being partnered and connected within our community. We want to build bridges and seek opportunities to support and encourage community agencies and groups who are working to build a better community. As a Church our vision is to be a diverse family of Christ-followers who seek to live out the love, acceptance, hope and healing of Jesus in all areas of our lives.

  • Greater Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce

    Greater Carlisle COCThe Greater Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce seeks to promote and foster responsible economic development. The Chamber accomplishes this goal by providing the necessary resources and opportunities for businesses to prosper. The Chamber fosters communication between partners to enhance networking opportunities and increase communal benefits. Additionally, the Chamber has a variety of committees and task forces targeting specific sectors of the Greater Carlisle economy in order to effectively and efficiently provide the best economic opportunities.

     

    Our Vision
    Our Vision is to be the recognized leader in fostering business development in the Central Cumberland County area.

    Our Mission
    To be a catalyst that will actively promote and support responsible economic growth in the Carlisle region, while continuing to provide enhanced benefits for our membership and a vibrant quality of life for our community.

    What does the Chamber do, exactly?

    Founded in 1913, the Greater Carlisle Area Chamber of Commerce has been serving the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Area for more than 100 years. Our mission is to serve as a community catalyst that encourages and supports economic growth and stability. How exactly do we do that?

    Through listening to and meeting the needs of our members and community, as best we can.

    In order to do that:
    •We help connect people to what they need to start a business here, grow a business here — or even move a business to Carlisle.
    •We plan, host, and partner in diverse networking and professional-development events.
    •We foster dialogue and communication with our members and community partners, about how we can better support them.
    •We offer exclusive advertising opportunities to members, that showcase their business.

    …and much, much more!

    We also help guests and tourists find what they’re looking for, in order to have the best visit possible. Need recommendations for everything from lodging to shopping and sightseeing while you’re in town? We can refer you to chamber members and community partners. And if you’re staying longer than a vacation, we can help with relocation information, too!

     

  • Bent Pine Alpaca Farm

    Bent Pine Alpaca Farm

    Doris and Darwin, owners, breaders, and caretakers at Bent Pine Alpaca Farm,  are enthusiastic about their friendly herd of alpacas and offer a variety of goods made from their alpaca’s fiber. They enjoy visitors and can provide educational seminars for groups of all sizes. You can arrange an educational tour ahead of time by giving them a call.

    From their website
    “16 acre historic farm (circa 1770) that is home to 25 – 30 alpacas and 3 llamas located off the road in a quiet setting. We are located half way between Carlisle and Mechanicsburg, 1/2 mile off Rt 641 (West Trindle Rd.) on Old Stonehouse Rd. South. Note: most GPS units want to send you up the hill to North Old Stonehouse Rd.) Look for our sign at the intersection of Rt 641 and follow the arrow on the sign. Bring your camera for pictures!”

    Our farm store is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons after our open house the second week in October until Christmas. Other times of year, the farm store is open by appointment.

  • Appalachian Trail Conservancy

    Appalachian Trail Conservancy

    APPALACHIAN TRAIL CONSERVANCY LOGO

    The ATC’s mission is “to preserve and manage the Appalachian Trail to ensure that its vast natural beauty and priceless cultural heritage can be shared and enjoyed today, tomorrow, and for centuries to come.”

    The Appalachian Trail Conservancy upholds the highest standards for the protection and management of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) to ensure that it can be shared and enjoyed well into the future.

    Due to the Trail’s historic legacy of volunteerism, many of the ATC’s programs are focused on supporting and encouraging volunteers. We work cooperatively with volunteer A.T. clubs and agencies to develop meaningful Trail policies, share expertise on trail design and construction, and protect the landscapes and natural and cultural resources that represent the unique, inspiring, and oftentimes life changing, experience of the A.T

    Our newer initiatives help us reach out to the next generation of A.T. supporters and visitors through education and outreach programs. As we work to steward the valuable lands that the A.T. traverses, we are eager to ensure those protected lands remain relevant and available to all those seeking recreation and solitude on the Trail.


    The organization also provides leadership support to the     South Mountain Partnership.

    The Appalachian Trail Conservancy maintains an online map of the entire Appalachian Trail to aid hikers in trip planning.

     

    map of at

     

     

  • LEAF (Leadership, Education and Farming) Project

    LEAF (Leadership, Education and Farming) Project

    asfleaflogoThe LEAF Project (Leadership Education And Farming) is a farm-based youth employment program. Launched by Heidi Witmer in 2013, the project envisions a community in which our youth, as well as all members of our region, are connected to the food that nourishes them, the land on which it grows, and to each other. To achieve this, LEAF provides paid internships to youth, ages 14-18, to work alongside farmers and chefs in the greater Carlisle region. These internships are meant to engage and inspire youth through the meaningful work of building a healthy local food system. Youth work, collaborate, and learn together, motivating personal and social change while increasing knowledge about and access to locally raised food in our community.

    Currently, LEAF provides paid internships to 12 youth for a seven week summer program. During the program, youth experience all aspects of the local food system.  They spend a good chunk of time planting and cultivating crops at their host farm, owned by fourth generation farmer Bert Myers. The youth then deliver some of their own produce to local restaurants, donate it to hunger relief programs, learn how to cook it from seasoned local chefs, and then engage the community in cooking demonstrations and workshops about the differences between locally grown and processed foods. During the program all youth keep writing journals, in which they document their experiences and growth during the program.

    leaf3

    The LEAF program is a Carlisle area gem. At a time when hard manual work is not attributed to youth, the LEAF staff is proving both to the kids and to the community that not only are they capable, but that they can enjoy it. By combining a paid summer job with agriculture, education, and leadership training, the LEAF Project allows its participants to be productive during their summer breaks. Furthermore, the youth leave the program as environmental and healthy-eating ambassadors to their own families and their communities – improving the health of the region one child at a time.

  • Farmers on the Square

    Farmers on the Square

    logoIf you’re looking for delicious, local food and hope to lower your food miles or meet your local farmers personally then visiting the Farmer’s on the Square (FOTS) market is for you! The market is year round – weekly during the summer months and twice a month in the winter. During the summer you can find the vendor’s by following your nose to their setup at 2 N. Hanover Street, right at the intersection of High St. and Hanover. This location was used for open-air markets from 1751 to 1952 and FOTS is the first one to be hosted since! During the winter months you’ll find them arranged inside at Project SHARE on 5 N. Orange St. in Carlisle. All markets occur from 3-7pm on Wednesdays.

    FOTS strives to provide fresh, healthy, local food to those who need it most. Many of the vendors have attained third party certifications for their produce including USDA Certified Organic, Certified Naturally Grown, and Food Alliance Certified. With every product you buy you’ll have a farmer’s face to match with it. All their vendors live and work within 50 miles of Carlisle – each one grows, raises, or makes from scratch the food that they sell!

    Depending on the season and the available products you can find a amazing array of local produce and other products. Just a few examples include:

    • Read-to-eat food like fresh-cut fries, popcorn, smoothies, soups, burgers and bratwurst!
    • Hand-cut flowers and arrangements
    • Fresh-picked vegetables and crisp, sweet fruits like apples, pears, plums and all sorts of berries
    • Fresh seafood from Maine!
    • A variety of fruit products like apple sauce, apple juice, and apple & pear butters
    • Hearth-baked breads and home-baked crackers
    • Granola, teas, honey popcorn, and cookies!

    Furthermore, FOTS provides the Double Up Food Bucks program to extend the availability of their food to the community. Through the generosity of the Carlisle Area Health and Wellness Foundation, this program doubles the value of dollar benefits for eligible Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) recipients – up to $20 per week per recipient.

  • Project SHARE

    Project SHARE

    psMISSION: In response to God’s call to love one another, Project SHARE (Survival Help And Recipient Education) provides food, clothing, nutritional education, and links to programs to empower people in need within the greater Carlisle Area.

    Project SHARE  is an interfaith cooperative effort, begun in 1985, involving over 66 local congregations, schools, and civic organizations. Contributions of food, money, and volunteerism provide essential basic assistance to more than 1000 families each month. Of those needing assistance, about 20% are seniors and nearly 30% are children.

    Project SHARE’s sustainability programming includes:

    • Growing vegetables in a high tunnel on the grounds of the Carlisle High School; mainly tomatoes, squash, herbs, and peppers. Recipients learn to nurture and harvest these and other annual crops.
    • Recycling cardboard using a baler that was donated around 2005. They receive cardboard from many different community locations and raise about $20K a year from this resource.
    • Teaching canning and other forms of food preservation to those who come for food or people in the local churches to encourage food preparation and the best use of resources.
    • Gleaning fresh fruit and vegetables at approximately 3 dozen local locations; harvesting whatever the farmer can’t use or sell. They also make use of the 2 local produce auctions in Shippensburg and extras from area CSAs.
  • Dickinson College Farm

    Dickinson College Farm

    Mission Statement

    To inspire responsible land stewardship through study of the earth’s natural processes and demonstrate the science, practice and culture of sustainable food production.

    Overview

    It is an exciting time to be a part of the student farm movement in the U.S. and the Dickinson College Farm is an established leader in this growing niche of working farms at top liberal arts colleges. The learning that takes place at the farm in a wide array of disciplines signals the future of a liberal arts education that provides a powerful avenue to explore the urgent issues of our time inside and outside of the classroom.

    2014 marks the start of the 8th growing season at the Dickinson College Farm. This year, the farm is maintaining 8-10 acres of cultivated land to raise certified organic produce for delivery to Dining Services, in addition to the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, produce stand at Carlisle’s vibrant farmers’ market and donations to Project S.H.A.R.E.

    Student Farmers

    In addition to the robust academic opportunities for integrating the College Farm into course work and research, the DC Farm does its best to provide student employees and volunteers with a realistic notion of what it takes to manage a diversified production farm with strong educational roots. Students are integrated into the farm landscape as field workers, equipment maintenance helpers, livestock managers, tour guides, volunteer leaders, special projects point people and farm liaisons at markets and within the community.

    The farm also offers an apprenticeship program for recent Dickinson graduates interested in gaining experience in sustainable food production.

    Youth Education

    The farm supported the development of three formal youth education programs during the 2012-2013 academic year, continuing into the 2013-2014 academic year: Sustainable Earth Education (SEED); Discover, Grow, Inquire (DIG) and Farm Cook Eat. SEED is an on-farm education program for area youth that offers a two-hour monthly class to children 5-12 years old. The DIG camp, a collaboration between the farm, Center for Sustainability Education and Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring, taught youth about local water, renewable energy & sustainable agriculture. Farm Cook Eat is a free afterschool program that offers Bellaire Elementary school students the chance to learn age-appropriate skills for preparing delicious and simple dishes using farm-fresh produce.

    Events

    The farm helped plan, implement and host three major annual events from Fall 2012-Fall 2013. They are:

    • Local Food Dinner: The tenth annual Local Food Dinner on March 23rd, 2013 marked another sold-out crowd: 250 students, faculty, farmers and community members came together to celebrate local agriculture.
    • Harvest Fest: The 10th annual event took place on October 4th, 2013! This event is organized by student organization “Students Interested in Sustainable Agriculture” (SISA) with strong support from Farm staff.
    • Art on the Farm: On September 22nd, 2013 the farm hosted the third annual award-winning “Art on the Farm”. Featuring educational programs, performance art, live painting, 3D art, a locally-sourced dinner menu, and an art auction, this event raises funds for two organizations that are dedicated to preserving farm land and sustainable food systems and strengthening the community: Carlisle Arts Learning Center and Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture.

    Workshops and Community Outreach

    Starting in summer 2012, the farm has partnered with the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture’s Good Food Neighborhood project to offer monthly workshops. Now in its third year, the program gives community members the opportunity to learn homesteading skills from local experts. Course topics include pasta making, beekeeping, backyard chicken care, gluten free baking, and food preservation.

    Additionally, the student farmers lead in-depth educational programs for local youth organizations including Leadership, Education And Farming Project (L.E.A.F Project PA); the Coalition of Neighborhood Networks for the Enhancement of Carlisle Teens  (CONNECT); Franklin County Migrant Education Program; and the Central PA Conservancy Goddard Leadership Legacy Institute. The farm continues to host a wide variety of school groups, clubs and area colleges for tours and unique educational opportunities. It has also partnered with the South Mountain Outdoors Festival and Cumberland County Farm Tours to offer farm tours to an even larger slice of the community.

    Renewable Energy

    The farm seeks to use, develop, and demonstrate sustainable energy technologies wherever possible. They consider it their responsibility both to reduce the environmental footprint of the food that they produce and to educate their students and community on the possibilities for decreased consumption of non-renewable energy.

    For electricity, they have turned to solar energy for many applications, with their goal being both to reduce consumption of purchased energy from the region’s coal and nuclear plants, and to set up they farm as a demonstration site for several different solar technologies. The barn and farmhouse glean a portion of their electricity from two separate grid-tied photovoltaic systems. Seasonal apprentices who work and live at the farm are able to do so off the grid, experiencing a new dimension of sustainable living in their yurts. The largest greenhouse on the farm uses a solar water heating system for supplemental heat during the colder months of the year and farm staff members make good use of the Solar Wheeler golf cart that transports workers and produce around the farm using the sun’s energy.

    Photovoltaic (solar electric, PV) systems are reliable, effective, and probably the easiest renewable energy technology to work with. They PV systems produce clean, quiet, high quality power reliably, and are expected them to continue doing so with minimal maintenance for decades.