MONTPELIER – Theresa Snow does not know the woman who nominated her for a national award.

Snow and Jen O'Donnell, co-founders of Salvation Farms, are the recipients of an e-chievement award from etown, a radio show based in Boulder, Colo.

Vermont listeners can hear Snow accept the award on etown, which airs at 10 a.m. Sunday on The Point at 104.7 or 100.3 in Montpelier. Etown is an education- and environment-focused variety radio show with live musical performers and an e-chievement award recipient honored each week.

Award recipients, nominated by listeners of the show, are those who are making a social difference, either in their community or on a larger scale. The woman who nominated Snow is another Theresa, last name Sinclair.

"I have no idea who she is," said Snow. "A lot of people really appreciated the work that we were doing in Lamoille Valley."

In 2004, a side project at Pete's Greens farm became the pilot for Salvation Farms, which was officially established the following year. Snow and O'Donnell founded Salvation Farms with the mission of gleaning unused produce from local farms and supplying those in need.

It was originally created to serve the Lamoille Valley area; over the next three years it gleaned 88,000 pounds of fresh produce from local farms.

"Everybody needs food, we're losing the knowledge of how to provide that most basic need," said Snow. "I needed something with more purpose than just going to work and getting a paycheck. It was definitely done with the idea of social change."

Farming is not an easy business, Snow points out. In order to be viable a farm has to be producing enough food to sell, but there is often surplus produce or items that are not cosmetically pleasing or marketable, but still nutritionally sound.

"Surplus can be due to being left over in the farmers market," said Snow whose objective is to prevent waste and help neighbors in need. "It's a great outlet for people to be able to provide this food to others."

Along with the produce, Salvation Farms provides recipes for recipients to prepare the food. Much of the service is provided by volunteers who glean the produce and deliver it, among other tasks, in an effort to build a stronger community.

When asked what she enjoys most about the program, Snow highlighted the connections.

"Knowing that I'm helping get people connected with their local farms," she said. "The idea that I'm empowering people to empower their communities. … Farmers are very righteous people and more people need to appreciate them and be aware of what they do."

Snow was unable to give the number of farms that are now part of the Salvation Farms program. In 2007 more than 50,000 pounds of produce was gleaned. Salvation Farms recently became a program of the Vermont Foodbank. Snow's position has become more administrative than hands-on in the fields.

"I'm very far from where I started this program," said Snow.

About the e-chievement award, she said, "I think it's really great, considering I just decided to do it one day."

Etown is usually recorded live in the Boulder Theater, for broadcast at a later date, and it has also been recorded at the Flynn Theater in Burlington. Snow accepted the award for Salvation Farms over the phone during a recording for the radio show earlier this year.

Guests on this Sunday's show include author John Javna, who will speak about his book, "50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth," and musicians Joe Ely and Joel Guzman, along with Jakob Dylan.

Snow, being of a different generation, was hoping to share airtime with the senior Dylan.

"I wish it was Bob Dylan playing," she said.

Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.