LUNENBURG — “Send hunger alpacin.”
That’s the fantastic slogan for a Lunenburg alpaca farm raising money for Project Bread.
In the Meadow Farm at 40 Page St. is hosting their annual “Walk the Fields” event on May 7 and offering ongoing private picnics with alpacas.
“Alpacas are quiet, curious creatures who produce the softest, warmest, incredible fiber. It is hard not to fall in love with them once you meet them,” said Jackie Chabot, co-owner of the farm with her husband Gerald.
During “Walk the Fields”, participants will walk a mile (about five laps) around the farm’s fields to interact with and feed the alpacas, ask questions, and take selfies. The walk includes 12 interactive stations to learn about alpacas, do an activity, and even pick up collectible trading cards with a picture of each of their herd and facts to take home.
This “Alpaca Info Trek” was created last year by Chabot and farm worker Sierra Lavigne and can also be enjoyed by those taking part in the alpaca picnics.
The modified “Walk for Hunger” takes place on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a $5 donation. The picnics will be available for the foreseeable future and will cost $10 per person for a party of up to twelve for a 1.5-hour period in the fields with the alpacas to spend some private time wandering around with the alpacas, ask questions, take selfies, and play lawn games. All attendees need to do is bring the picnic and In The Meadow Farm supplies the rest.
“Our support of Project Bread is really a no-brainer. With so many people facing food insecurity, it is important to do all we can to support that,” Chabot said.
Chabot said she and her husband “sort of fell into becoming alpaca farmers.” They moved to Lunenburg in 1995 and lived on Whalom Lake for a while. Deciding they wanted something new, but also wanting to stay in Lunenburg because of the “small town aspect”, they found their “beautiful piece of property” and started the farm in 2014.
At first, they were only going to have chickens (and two cats.) Then they were going to have just a few male alpacas as pets after a chance stop at a nearby alpaca farm.
Having a working farm “was nothing we ever saw ourselves doing but here we are,” Chabot said. Now they have a herd of 12 boys; since they don’t want to breed, they started with males and stuck with them.
They also have 20 chickens, two cats, and two bunnies, plus three children and five grandchildren, most of whom are active on the farm.
“As a former educator, I love teaching, and that has become an important aspect of what we do here. Gerard and I love to talk about our alpaca herd and so we have crafted our offerings here to reflect that,” Chabot said.
Throughout the year, the farm offers alpaca encounters to spend time with and learn about alpacas on group visits for schools, 4H, Scouts, and more as well as hosts birthday parties. Chabot teaches fiber art classes in felting and knitting in a purpose-built studio on the farm grounds, at which other local artisans teach classes, such as cookie decorating and crafts. There is even a yoga instructor who leads a weekly alpaca yoga class on Saturday mornings.
There is also a retail shop on the farm selling socks, gloves/mittens, hats, scarves, handmade plushies, and yarn/roving, all made from alpacas except for some of the novelty items and farm logo items. Anything from the retail shop can be bought online at inthemeadowalpacas.com — except the alpaca manure.
The store will be open at the walk and every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Walk the Fields” began in 2021. Like everything during the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Walk for Hunger” went virtual, so Chabot’s daughter Jessica Lucier-Glinski suggested forming their “Send Hunger Alpacin” team and hosting a virtual walk event at the farm to help raise funds for Project Bread.
Local artists will be vending at the walk. There will also be a raffle basket full of goodies from local artisans, some of which are available in their shop.
In The Meadow Farm will be at The Market on Main event in Fitchburg at the end of May. Their next public event at the farm is National Alpaca Farm Days in September; they have several events throughout the year, including a recent Earth Day event.
Farm and alpaca life are now Chabot and her husband’s life and livelihood — that they would not trade for anything.
For more information on their farm or Project Bread fundraising, or to shop, go to their website at inthemeadowalpacas.com which also features an adorable list of each alpaca, with his age, personality, likes/dislikes, and a picture. You can also find them on Facebook @inthemeadowfarm.
