Twenty-two-year-old Marissa Alfiero came to The Valley for farming opportunities and stayed for the community.
Alfiero has been living in a winter rental on Tamarac Street in Alpine Village in Warren and working at the East Warren Community Market. They have a lease that ends in May.
Alfiero moved to The Valley at the end of last April and worked for the summer as the farmer/gardener at the East Warren Community Market while also working at Clearfield Farm in Granville.
Last spring and summer they lived in a rough shed on Roxbury Gap. They returned to Brown University last fall to complete a degree in literary arts. Alfiero is from Rhode Island and first heard about The Valley from friends. It was while visiting a friend here last winter that they found the two farming jobs.
After Alfiero completed their last semester and found their seasonal rental in Alpine Village, they began working inside at the East Warren Community Market while waiting for spring and a return to growing food for people.
Alfiero said that working at the market in a front-facing position has allowed them to make a lot of connections in the community and may help them find a place to live.
“Patrons who saw my post asked me about it,” Alfiero said, referring to a post on Front Porch Forum seeking housing.
“I found my current and previous living spaces through word of mouth. I’m finding opportunities through connections I already have. I feel so fortunate that I’m at the market where lots of people come through,” Alfiero said.
Alfiero is cognizant of how the housing shortage is impacting local employers, noting that the East Warren Community Market lost a full-time employee last fall when his housing fell through.
“There are so many people who want to move here but can’t find a place to live. There are jobs here but people aren’t going to stress themselves out by moving here and having no place to live. Everybody has a worker shortage here,” Alfiero said.
“My farmer friends and I get frustrated. We really want to feed people and provide food for The Valley, but we have to have a place to live,” Alfiero added.
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