Dana Stevens

Over the years Dana has been involved with food and farming in many settings: her family’s garden, the horticulture program at her high school, and organic farms throughout New England. Her most recent work took place at Sweet Bounty Homestead, her organic farm where she produced much of her household’s food during the past few years. Dana has seen how her own health, fitness, education, relationships, career choices, and environmental consciousness have been positively affected by the knowledge she has gained during these experiences. Being exposed to sustainable agriculture from an early age has been one of the larger influences on the choices she makes as an adult. Dana believes it is imperative that we extend these opportunities to others so that everyone has the understanding and resources to create health. “Nourishing food, strong community, and a robust natural environment are the birthright of every human being”, Dana says. Sharing the tools to create communities in which these rights are accessible to everyone is the work she loves to do.

With FoodCorps, Dana provides outreach and technical assistance to farms and Washington County schools to help establish, sustain, and strengthen Farm to School programs that include local purchasing and food systems education. She also supports and provides resources for starting and maintaining school garden programs, and works with University of Maine Cooperative Extension Wellness Associates to conduct in-school, hands-on nutrition education.

You can read more about how Dana spends her days as a FoodCorps service member here, on the Cooking Light magazine blog.