Help Shape the Future of Pitney Meadows: A Strategic Vision Rooted in Sustainability, Equity, and Community Care

At Pitney Meadows Community Farm, we’ve always believed in growing more than food—we grow community, connection, and resilience. As we approach our 10-year anniversary, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve officially launched a strategic planning process to guide the next chapter of our work, and your voice is essential.

This process will help us chart a clear and actionable roadmap for our programs, infrastructure, and partnerships so we can deepen our impact and more fully deliver on our mission..

To ensure that this work is thoughtful, effective, and truly inclusive, we’ve partnered with two extraordinary leaders in sustainability and systems design: Holly Fowler and Shelly Pottorf of Northbound Ventures Consulting.

Meet the Experts Guiding the Process

Holly Fowler brings over 15 years of international sustainability leadership and 11 years of consulting experience in sustainable agriculture, stakeholder engagement, and community food systems. Her background includes advising Fortune 500 companies, universities, governments, healthcare systems, and nonprofits, always with a deep commitment to practical, values-driven impact.

Shelly Pottorf, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP BD+C, is a regenerative design expert and the Principal of Architend, an architecture firm focused on sustainability, community, and climate resilience. With leadership roles in national and regional resilience collaboratives, Shelly is known for her ability to design with equity, ecology, and longevity in mind. Her projects span Living Building Challenge (LBC) design, passive house certification, and resilient infrastructure.

Together, Holly and Shelly have consulted for Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & Environment, Rhode Island’s statewide food systems strategy, Acorn Food Hub, University of Vermont’s Center for Food Systems Research, Soul Fire Farm, among others.

Together, Holly and Shelly bring a rare combination of strategy, sustainability, and community-grounded expertise—and they’ll help us translate big-picture visioning into a grounded, multi-year plan.

What We’re Planning For

Over the next few months, we’ll be working closely with our partners, staff, and community members to shape a shared vision for Pitney Meadows’ future. Key areas of focus include:

• Defining our role in supporting local food access and resilience
• Growing our role as a climate-smart research farm for regenerative agriculture
• Launching a farm internship program to support the next generation of sustainable farmers
• Expanding access to SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid through farm-based food sovereignty programs
• Scaling habitat restoration efforts across our full landscape
• Creating new and improved educational and gathering spaces
• Investing in infrastructure to support food production, partnerships, and access

This strategic plan will clarify what’s needed—in terms of staffing, facilities, programming, and community engagement—to sustain Pitney Meadows as a leader in community resilience, food justice, and environmental stewardship.

How You Can Get Involved

Your perspective matters. Whether you're a long-time supporter, a CSA member, a partner organization, or someone who simply values this land, we want to hear from you!

Opportunities to participate include:

• Community Survey (launching in May)
• Constituency-based Focus Groups
• 1:1 Interviews
• Combined Staff & Board Workshops

Stay tuned for more information on participating in one of these forums!

Let’s Build This Together

This process is about more than planning—it’s about planting seeds for a more connected, inclusive, and resilient future. We’re honored to have you as part of the Pitney Meadows community, and we can’t wait to co-create what comes next.