2022 Year End Review and Donation Request

Dear friends of the Many Hands Sustainability Center,

We ask you to consider a donation to MHSC this winter. Since 2007 the MHSC has been in business as an adjunct to the Many Hands Organic Farm. This 501©3 was set up to disseminate education around organic farming systems and healthy eating, to work with targeted populations to provide them with access to learn farming skills here on site, and to be a conduit for charitable giving to support connection to our high-quality food for folks who are of limited income.

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Highlights of 2022 included the following:

Weekly online newsletter to over 1000 subscribers In its second year of production, this educational newsletter is full of lots of opinions by Julie and Jack, videos, pictures and narrative regarding what is going on each week at the farm, links to educational resources on health and organic/regenerative farming, and letters to the editor. Some folks can’t wait until Monday morning at 6 am to get the next update. You can subscribe here – https://mhof.net

Candido with vegetable crate

Weekly farm immersion for Stetson School kids

We have been hosting two students and a staff member from Barre’s Stetson School for several years now. They get to dirty their hands and learn a few practical things and we get the pleasure of their company and their valuable help. At the end of the morning, we all share a nutritious farm lunch. This is a win-win with these special guys.

Delivery support for SNAP customers

In the state of Massachusetts there is a priority to make healthy food available to SNAP customers, with a focus on CSAs and farmers markets. We’re authorized to take SNAP here at the farm. Through the special Healthy Incentives Program, SNAP customers can receive back up to $60 per
month for fresh, healthy food when purchasing a CSA share. We have a significant number of SNAP customers, and our MHSC supporters foot the delivery fee for their shares.

UMass Med students helping move the pigs to new pasture where they will free-range

Lots of visiting student groups

As is usual, we hosted many students this year on the farm for a couple hours up to a full day. We had very productive visits by two classes from Clark University, a visit from the UMass organic farming class, four 2nd year med students from UMass/Worcester, the NOFA/Mass Springfield urban farming project, and Somers, CT Youth Services, to name a few.

And of course, we have a constant stream of working shareholders and one-off volunteers who come to share thoughts, ideas and lunch.

Paula, Danny and Melissa taking a free ride after harvesting all morning

Kamarin picking blueberries

Employment for Kamarin

Kamarin lives at Stetson. He is a remarkable individual who we were lucky enough to hire this summer to work full-time on the farm. Smart, quick, a great leader, a strong back, a kind heart, and a great sense of humor endeared him to everyone who works or volunteers here. We were blessed with his presence and hope he can return in 2023. MHSC donors supported his salary.

14 shares for Worcester Community Fridges

Last year we started partnering with the Worcester Community Fridges and donated, with MHSC support, a few shares to this wonderful project that makes food available to Worcester residents who need it with no questions asked. People can show up at one of several refrigerators in the city and take what they need. The folks at WCF were so happy with the quality of our produce in 2021 that they did some fundraising to support 7 summer and 7 fall shares. We matched them with your generous donations to MHSC and were able to provide 14 shares for 26 weeks.

CSA shares ready for dispersal to Community Fridges

We are also writing a book for Chelsea Green on our 40 years of farming and 45 years together. Hopefully it will provide some occasional inspiration to the next generation?

Please consider giving to MHSC. We are a low overhead, ultra-focused organization that will use your money wisely to provide good education, food and inspiration to many.