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Farm Fresh Rhode Island
1005 Main St #1220
Pawtucket, RI 02860

(401) 312-4250

Donate to Farm Fresh Rhode Island and support our work toward more environmentally and socially sustainable food in our region.

Hannah Mellion
Food System Activator - hannah@farmfreshri.org

Hannah discovered a passion for food and agriculture after completing a cross-country cycling trip in 2006. Though she grew up with a large backyard garden, weeks of cycling through magnificent wheat and massive corn fields provided her first real look at agriculture in this country. Her curiously about where was all that corn was going spurred her to learn more about the way we produce food. After returning to Providence and volunteering at Southside Community Land Trust's City Farm, she discovered the local foods movement as an alternative solution to agribusiness, processed foods, and to creating healthier communities. The local foods movement also provided a perfect way to combine her interests in health, nutrition, agriculture, and community work.

She learned at an early age that food was medicine, and this belief has shape her work. Over the last three years she has worked on several urban and rural farms, and found her way to Farm Fresh RI in 2008 through the support of the C.V. Starr National Service Fellowship. She has come to believe that a strong local and regional food systems that support small farms and provide access to all members of our community is the best way to rebuild our food system.

Jen Stott
Harvest Kitchen Chef Educator - chefjen@farmfreshri.org

Kayla Ringelheim
Healthy Neighborhoods Coordinator - kayla@farmfreshri.org

Kayla first learned about Farm Fresh while in college at Brown University, where she was "that girl" who went to the Farmer's Market every week to buy apples and root vegetables. She began volunteering at markets in 2009, and the more she learned about the national and local food systems, the more intrigued she became with the intersection between agriculture and health. With a background in Human Biology, Kayla comes to Farm Fresh with a passion for how the local food movement is inextricably linked with the health of its respective communities. As an AmeriCorps VISTA, Kayla is now working to support the market-based nutrition education and access initiatives that Farm Fresh oversees (Healthy Foods Healthy Families; Fruits and Veggies Rx; Healthy Servings for Seniors) and is excited to be a part of a movement that seeks to improve the environment, the local economy, and individuals' personal well-being simultaneously.

Molly Bledsoe
Healthy Seniors Coordinator - molly@farmfreshri.org

Molly started volunteering at the Wintertime Farmers' Market in December 2008 on a whim, and just kept showing up. Working for Farm Fresh RI opened her eyes to the local food movement and the larger environmental movement, causing her to change her concentration at Brown University from English to Environmental Studies. During the school year, she helps out at markets between classes and other activities. This summer, she is working at two markets, as well as completing a second term as a two-month Americorps VISTA visiting senior centers in Rhode Island with a nutrition educator to spread the news about local and healthy food to senior citizens. What she loves the most about working for Farm Fresh is the feeling of community among the vendors at markets and the customers; happy people brought together by good food!

Noah Fulmer
Executive Director - noah@farmfreshri.org

Noah grew up in central New Jersey where suburban development pressures are a persistent challenge to farm viability. The deep taste of a freshly picked blueberry won Noah over at an early age. He was raised on corn from the farmstand down the road and spoiled by the flavors of his grandmother's traditional soups -- made fresh from vegetables growing in the small backyard-turned-garden that lay just beyond her kitchen window. But despite the "Garden State" nostalgia, new houses and strip malls were devouring nearby farmland. Noah saw the same patterns after moving to Rhode Island for college.

Noah's passion led him to co-found Farm Fresh Rhode Island. How could you ensure that local farms and just-picked foods have a place in our communities? People want to buy locally grown foods, but don't necessarily have the resources. The Internet is an ideal starting point for providing information about Rhode Island's farmers' markets, farms and foods. In fact, it would be critical if family farms are to compete in the modern food system. So despite having sworn off computer coding after two perilous years in high school, the need for a web-based information tool for farms and consumers is too pressing. Noah led both the design and production of the Farm Fresh RI website, with the hopes of expanding access to locally grown foods and sustaining farmstands and fresh flavors for generations to come. Today, in addition to the website, Noah oversees organizational programming, partnerships and strategy.

Paula Gill
Business Manager - paula@farmfreshri.org

Paula is a local urban gardener with a love for growing and eating fresh organic produce. A recent trip to Italy sparked a desire to change the way she fed herself, after being deeply impacted by Italians' passionate relationship to food and the Slow Food movement there. Since returning, she has dreamt of farming in Tuscany. By joining the Davis Park Community Gardens, as well as becoming a first year beekeeper, she has been able to make this dream a reality right here in Providence.

Paula brings with her a first-hand knowledge of running a small business, in addition to her knack for numbers. She is excited about joining Farm Fresh Rhode Island and being a member of the local sustainable food movement.

Ryan Reeves
Harvest Kitchen Coordinator - ryan@farmfreshri.org

Sarah Lester
Outreach Coordinator - sarah@farmfreshri.org

Sarah Lester grew up on a farm in Delaware and moved to Providence to attend Brown University, where she studied International Relations - the Global Environment. Sarah then spent two years hopping around New England as an AmeriCorps VISTA for Ashoka's Youth Venture, a youth development non-profit that focuses on youth social entrepreneurship. Through her time with AmeriCorps she developed an entrepreneurial spirit and strong commitment to serving the community. After volunteering with Farm Fresh Rhode Island in various capacities, she reconnected with her agricultural roots and joined the Farm Fresh Rhode Island staff! Now she supports the amazing farmers of Rhode Island (and MA, CT!), while helping to build Rhode Island's sustainable food system. Sarah's emphasis is on access to healthy, fresh foods, specifically in low-income communities, and she strives to involve all members of the community in the local food movement.

Sheri Griffin
Program Director - sheri@farmfreshri.org

After establishing a farm stand and mail order citrus business with her parents and grandparents after high school, Sheri Griffin attended the University of Rhode Island, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and biology. After graduation, Ms. Griffin entered the nonprofit world, beginning as Director of Development and Publicity at AS220, a nonprofit arts center in Providence. Since then, she has worked at a range of nonprofits of various sizes and has become active in her neighborhood, working with other volunteers to keep a library branch open and starting a community garden.