“Giving Tuesday Now” is a call for support inspired by the Giving Tuesday tradition that occurs near Thanksgiving, where we are invited to contribute to our favorite non-profits, who are doing work that we value and want to support. The reason that we are participating in this “Now”, or more specifically May 5th-31st, is because the coronavirus pandemic has posed sudden and significant new challenges to our program operations while making the outcomes matter all the more. Fortunately, you can double your dollar contribution if you respond quickly, since Doug Gurkin and family just donated a $2,500 challenge match to anyone who contributes to our Giving Tuesday Now campaign!
As our 50 year celebration of Earth Day week is aligning with the COVID 19 pandemic’s #stayhome pause, it feels that we are all being invited into a reflective moment in history. Our hearts go out to all who are suffering, and we pray that you are also finding blessings during these trials. We at Patterson School Foundation are doing our best to celebrate the regenerative potential that we have time to cultivate, as we stay in place. Our focused attention on protecting our health, nurturing our gardens, and harnessing our natural resources, has already produced inspiring results!
Our “volunteer extraordinaire”, Ben Brownell, a multi-faceted systems designer with 15 years of Permaculture experience, has led the way on so many exciting projects these past few months. Just last week Ben hiked almost half way up Ripshin Mountain to fix the original gravity water line from the reservoir to the Incubator Farmer’s Kistler Plot, which has been broken almost a decade! The next plumbing improvement will be repairing this line further and resurrecting the fountain in the pond.
The orchard has also benefited from some loving attention, with Jim Hogan and Ben installing a yard hydrant which now provides the irrigation needed to properly care for the orchard and newly enriched beds, now growing goodies between the fruit and nut trees. Check out the new asparagus, potatoes, squash, melons and herbs!
Ben and William Ritter, our former Program Director turned Incubator Farmer, have brought our new greenhouse to the next level by upgrading the north wall, which will soon lead into a sheltered harvest-prep area, complete with sinks, tables and an outdoor cooler. Check out Ben’s hand-made wooden raised beds, which he chain sawed from Patterson’s property.
The Incubator Farmer’s Kistler Plot has also received a lot of love and significant prepping for Ben’s demonstration garden, new farmer-incubator Thomas Cooper’s medicinal herbs and vegetable patch, and William’s version of 3 Sisters with his incredible collection of heirloom seeds. William’s long held vision to grow heirloom plants for seeds, from his impressive collection, will hopefully produce seeds sufficient for all of us who desire them next summer – ‘tis the way for those who seek resiliency and sustainability!
While we miss offering Patterson’s popular workshop series this Spring, we look forward to seeing you soon, and assure you that we will use any contributions you feel inspired to share to grow more food and farmers! Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for progress reports and some informative, inspiring documentation of our efforts and lessons along the way. We’ll share as much as we can remotely, until we can welcome you back to visit in person!
We are excited to share that we recently received approval on the majority of a small grant application from Resourceful Communities to support and develop the Incubator program this year, however the award amount left us $3,000 shy of our minimal budget to complete needed projects and operations this season. We would love to make up the difference with generous support from our community!
Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to grow at Patterson through this challenging time; and a special thanks to The Conservation Fund for crucial grant support to further develop the Incubator Farm program this season!
