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Elora Overbey’s face lights up when she talks about food and family. “Our family’s love
language is food,” she told me. “It’s a shared passion.” So, it’s no surprise that she eventually
Perched against the clouds that drift across the mountains of Highland County, Virginia,
the Institute is remote, even by mountain standards, but the vistas, learning, and lifestyle are,
Founded in 2011, AMI’s motto is “Growing Food. Building Community.” Fellows, who
are typically young adults “near the beginning of their careers,” are selected “based on their
passion for creating a more sustainable food system and their change-making potential.”
Being a Fellow at AMI is all about the food and the community. It’s about learning to
grow, not only from seeds planted in the greenhouse and garden, but also from the community
Elora came to AMI by way of what she refers to as “a series of overlapping concentric
circles.” She began her post-college career as a freelance photographer and journalist in
Portland, Oregon with a desire to tell stories about communities. She supplemented her
income by working at an Israeli-themed food cart. There, Elora learned that she loved to cook,
and that she was intrigued by the way that food defined the quality of human life.
Then, Elora moved back to Virgina and began volunteering with her mom at Lynchburg
Grows. She became more interested in the idea of food deserts: urban areas where there is no
easy source of fresh produce. As she helped with the program’s Veggie Van, Elora ran into
people who didn’t know what to do with the vegetables that they were buying. She says,
“Something was missing. The tools I had weren’t helping me address the issues of teaching
people how to access good food and take charge of their own health.”
When Elora saw a posting for a Fellowship at Allegheny Mountain Institute, she realized
her life had come full circle. Not only did the program emphasize the same passion her family
found in sharing and preparing food, it’s also possible that one of the buildings was constructed
with the help of her mother, who attended timber-framing classes there when it was Bear
Mountain Outdoor School. Elora says that “life is strange and does full circles all the time.”
Recognizing the significance of those overlapping circles, she applied to the program.
First year Fellows arrive on the mountain just in time to begin the growing season and
spend six months working in the gardens and participating in workshops designed to expand
Elora says it’s also a time of “putting tools in your toolkit so you can take what you’ve
learned out into the larger community.” Fellows, who live as a family, “learn to have and
facilitate wonderful, but hard conversations so, that as we work to bring food to communities,
In their second year, or Phase II of the program, the Fellows move out into the larger
community and help start sustainable food-based programs. Some also take on leadership roles
at the Institute. In addition to her work with the local school, Elora serves as a mentor to the
Now, Allegheny Mountain Institute is widening its reach. While residents of nearby
counties have always been encouraged to participate in Wednesday workshops, the program is
offering its first year of “stay on the farm” experiences so that anyone with an interest in
sustainable organic gardening can come and learn with the Fellows.
There are two ways to visit. Those who choose to come mid-week will have the
opportunity to spend Wednesday in workshop with the Fellows. Topics in the past have
included beekeeping, perennial orchards, the soil web, raising chickens, seed saving and
fermentation methods.
Mid-week visitors eat all meals on the mountain with the Fellows. Elora described the
meals as magnificent because they are picked fresh and prepared by the Fellows who are all
Visitors may also choose a weekend package. These are more relaxed because the
Fellows are off-duty. While there are no formal activities for weekend visitors, the Fellows have
prepared a list of “ways to interact with the natural beauty,” that include porch sitting, hikes,
If you are ready to experience a place that’s “still kind of wild,” or if you want to “play
and work in the dirt and learn where your food comes from,” then check out Allegheny
Sidebar
Website: www.alleghenymountaininstitute.org