Annual Appeal
Dear Friends,
Every year at Common Ground Farm we grow a lot of good nutritious food, make that food available to everyone in our community, regardless of income and we open up our beautiful farm to children and adults to learn about food and farming.
This past year we have deepened our regional impact in significant ways, and we are developing plans for an even greater impact in the future.
Watch our video to learn about the many ways we support our community, and then please donate to support a local nonprofit that has such a positive impact on the community you live in. The results are all around you, but we can do so much more!
You are our partners in this; your support is vital for us to grow.
Help us achieve the following in 2018!
- Expand our Farm-to-School programs to include not just local elementary school students but also middle school and high school students throughout the mid-Hudson region
- Add weekly Newburgh produce donations to our current list of twelve partner food pantries and soup kitchens in the region
- Support fresh food access and create a marketplace for local producers in Newburgh at the historic Downing Park Farmers' Market
- Deepen our impact at mobile markets in Beacon and Newburgh by offering discounted fresh produce, cooking demos, and food preservation lessons taught by Green Teen program participants
- Host community events on the farm property
Results this year
This past year, we have deepened our regional impact in significant ways. Check out our 2017 impact map below!
- We donated over 4,500 pounds of healthy, organically grown produce to our partners at twelve local food pantries and soup kitchens.
- Common Ground regularly provided our produce to Beacon public schools; nearly $2,000 of fresh CGF produce, grown less than 6 miles from the schools, was used in school lunches and the free summer meals program in 2017.
- We offered a bustling summer camp for 7 weeks of the summer, robust farm to-school programming at the farm and in the schools, a popular toddler series, and adult dye and fiber workshops, resulting in nearly 6,000 points of contact each year. This year we were able to offer 29 full scholarships to summer campers who wouldn't otherwise have been able to attend, including meals and a weekly UPick share.
- Common Ground became regional as we expanded to our sister city across the river, Newburgh, which is twice the size and twice the poverty rate of Beacon; low income customers accessed our steeply discounted, organically grown produce at two markets, including one mobile market at a senior housing complex. We also took over management of Newburgh's historic Downing Park Farmers' Market to transform it into a viable marketplace for local agricultural producers and to bring good food into the heart of the city.
- Under our management, the Beacon Farmers’ Market moved to Main St to serve the local community better! The market has grown from 10 to 25 weekly vendors, who are seeing on average 30% increases in sales; food stamp purchases have doubled; we are also offering Common Ground "Green 4 Greens" program to double the value of food benefits year round.
Thank you!
Sarah Simon, Farm Director
Common Ground Farm
