Friends of the Farm:

It’s a record-breaking year for snow, and spring has been slow in coming.  Mud season never looked so good.

It’s time once again to initiate our spring Plant-A-Meal Fundraiser.  We are asking for your support.  Income from this fundraiser enhances our annual grant from Share Our Strength, based on the Taste of the Nation fundraisers in Portsmouth and Manchester.  We are asking you as our Friends of the Farm to help. The more funds we raise, the more we are able to help out the low-income families that live in New Hampshire.

Last year was a record year, for charitable donations to the NH Food Bank (NHFB), and for volunteers who came to the farm.  We teamed with the volunteer coordinator of NHFB, and had a steady flow of volunteers throughout the farm season.  Our largest group was from a church in Southern Pennsylvania, but other large groups included students from St. Paul’s School in Concord, a community service group from Central High School in Manchester, and 4 visits from students of the NH Technical Institute. The volunteers enjoyed fresh air and sunshine, and assisted with numerous projects, including harvesting pumpkins, mulching garlic, pounding in tomato stakes, hand weeding herbs and pulling fall carrots. Many good friends were made, and Nesenkeag truly appreciates their contribution. Catholic Charities gave us a grant in the spring to help mitigate flood damage by providing money for the purchase of expensive cover crop seed.  Part of the grant covered additional donations of fresh produce to NHFB.

Nesenkeag is a 501(c)(3) organic farm situated at the junction of Nesenkeag Brook and the Merrimack River, in Litchfield, NH.  We have been certified organic for over 20 years.  We market to high-end restaurants in Boston and Southern NH, as well as supply fresh, nutritional produce to low-income families in NH.  Friends of the Farm number 400 strong, and we are asking once again for your generous support. We provide low-income families food that is grown specifically for them and distributed to their neighborhoods via the NHFB network of food pantries and soup kitchens.  We believe our produce is the most nutritional food these families will eat.

NHFB has been hard-pressed to fill its shelves with nutritious food.  This is your chance to help.  Spread the word – let your friends know about this project, and please check out our website at nesenkeagfarm.com.

 

Whitney Carpenter, President
Eero Ruuttila, Farm Manager and Director