VERNON, Conn. (WTNH) — A farm-to-table partnership in Vernon is giving local businesses a boost — all while increasing students’ access to healthy foods.

“Like, this is a game-changer,” Susan Mitchell, who owns Cloverleigh Farms, said about adding a coordinator to the program. “You know in that there’s funding available to pay someone to really dig into this, because you need that. You need the connection.”

Rep. Joe Courtney (D-District 2) was in Vernon on Tuesday to talk to leaders about the program and discuss efforts to strengthen it.

Joseph Macary, the superintendent of Vernon Public Schools, said the pandemic brought to light the importance of food and nutrition.

“So, we took some money from federal money, some local, some state money, created the farm-to-table type coordinator, which we need,” Macrary said. “And the partnerships now have become, so I think we need to keep increasing that.”