Dear Friend,
Willing Hands welcomed our first garden volunteers of the season last week. Among other essential tasks, they seeded over 10,000 vegetable plants that will grow food for our community this year. The first session of the year and the beginning signs of spring are welcome after a long winter. As the new season starts we are also reflecting on the work that so many contributed to over the past year. I am happy to share our 2024 Impact Report with a link included below. It is heartwarming to be part of such a caring group of volunteers, supporters, partners and staff.
As many of our peer organizations have reflected, recent actions taken by the federal government have had a substantial impact on our local food system, as evidenced in headlines:
- Federal Budget Cuts Shake Vermont’s Local Food Movement
- USDA Eliminates Two Local Food Programs That Help The NH Food Bank and Local Schools
Millions of dollars in funding that our local farms, schools, and food shelves relied upon to meet the needs of their communities have been frozen or cut entirely.
In moments of uncertainty there are many opportunities to come together as a community and support each other. Now is a great time to plant seeds—seeds of hope, seeds of optimism, seeds of action to strengthen our community.
We are grateful to the volunteers who gave a couple of hours this week to plant seeds. Over the next few months, more volunteers will return to those plants, move them from the greenhouse to the ground, water them, and pull weeds so they can thrive. Because of many small moments of care thousands of pounds of food will grow. This food will be delivered to local organizations dedicated to meeting the basic needs of our community.
We are inspired by the collective impact of our community and invite you to support Willing Hands in any way you can. The seeds you plant will grow.
Sincerely,
Gabe Zoerheide, Executive Director