Phone Call With the Town Hall

After three years of quietly building our little farm in the backyard and getting all the details in order, today was the day I’d been working toward.

Over these past few years, I’ve built our chicken coop from scrap wood, planted more than 50 fruit trees, tended three varieties of grapes, four types of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, and more.

I even registered Frostin Farms with the State of Connecticut as an official farm business.

But today, I finally made the phone call I’d been nervous to make.

I called Cromwell Town Hall and left a message with the Human Services Department.

I wasn’t sure how they’d respond to a small local farm wanting to donate fresh fruit and eggs to the food pantry.

Why did I even wonder?

Because three years ago, when my own family was going through a tough time, there was nothing fresh at the food pantry. Everything came in boxes or cans.

Don’t get me wrong—we were deeply grateful for every bite. I even discovered my kids loved canned green beans, which honestly surprised me! What kid loves canned green beans? Mine do.

But seeing the shelves back then made me wonder: do pantries even accept fresh food?

So today, when I called Human Services, I probably overshared—told them about my certifications, my plans, and my whole story. I just wanted them to understand where I was coming from and hopefully approve me as an official donor.

To my delight, Amy Saada from Cromwell Human Services called me back within just a few hours.

She said yes—absolutely—they’ll take anything fresh. The only reason they don’t have fresh produce is because no one is donating it.

Success!

She even told me that recently someone brought in a single squash from their garden, and it was so appreciated. It doesn’t take much to make a difference.

So starting Tuesday, I’ll be delivering fresh eggs—or “cackleberries,” as I like to call them—to the food pantry, along with whatever small harvest our farm can spare right now.

Our fruit trees are still young, and harvests are modest. But we’ve got a seasonal garden planted, and we’re in this for the long haul.

My dream is to help make Cromwell the fruitiest town in Connecticut. It’ll take time. But we’d better start cracking!