[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE WORK OF CLAIRE THOMAS

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                         HON. SUZAN K. DelBENE

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2014

  Ms. DelBENE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Claire Thomas. Claire 
Thomas established The Root Connection in 1987 as the first Community 
Supported Agriculture farm in Washington State.
  She started with a quarter acre of rented land in the Sammamish 
Valley between Woodinville and Redmond, just 18 miles from downtown 
Seattle. She improved soil, purchased land, and increased acreage until 
she now farms 20 acres.
  Claire's farm is organic, and applies the same intensive growing 
techniques used by many home gardeners. The result is enough for about 
600 families, a production rate six times that of farms using normal 
commercial agricultural practices.
  The Root Connection provides its members a close connection to the 
land that grows their produce. Families pick up their produce at the 
farm, and can go out into the fields to harvest herbs and flowers.
  In 2012, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Councilmember 
Kathy Lambert awarded Claire the King County Rural Small Business of 
the Year Award.
  In addition to The Root Connection, Claire manages 47 acres of 
farmland and water rights, advocates for farmland preservation, and 
helps run a non-profit that obtains fresh produce weekly from four 
local farms and distributes it through local food banks.
  I want to honor Claire's commitment and drive to overcoming food 
insecurity by creating a means to get healthful food directly from 
farms to the homes that need it most.

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