Dear Friends,
2009 has been an amazing year for Seedleaf, and we know for certain that we couldn’t have had this success without the generous support of our friends.
During the growing season, we helped build and maintain ten gardens, serving both youth and adults alike. The produce from these gardens reached countless households, the majority of which would not otherwise have had access to fresh produce. Seedleaf hosted numerous events that celebrated planting, harvesting, cooking, composting, and eating. Through our composting program, we’ve been collecting pre-consumer organic waste from ten area restaurants on a weekly basis, preventing thousands of pounds of material from entering our local landfill and ensuring that these nutrients go back into fertilizing our Bluegrass soil. All told, we enjoyed over 800 contact hours with the Lexington community, over 600 of which involved our area youth. We were also flattered by some special honors, including being voted “Best Grassroots Organization” by Ace Weekly Magazine, having a festive “Raising the Spirits” party thrown in our honor by Debra Hensley, and receiving an EcoArts Grant from the Department of Environmental Quality and LexArts.
Similarly, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of 2010 and what promises to be a banner growing season for Seedleaf. Not only do we plan to continue our efforts towards developing urban food production, but we hope to expand our offerings for cooking and preserving food. As always, we’ll be presenting numerous fun and educational experiences for both the area youth and adults, and we look forward to partnering with new organizations as we unite to create a local food economy. We already have plans to add several new gardens, in addition to those we’ve already been maintaining, and we’ve been actively pursuing the construction of a greenhouse. And that’s just the start!
Seedleaf is committed to its mission of nourishing the community. And yet, even with our hard work and the kind support of our numerous volunteers, we still need funding to assist us in this effort. We sincerely thank each of you for your support already. For those of you have not yet given, we ask you to consider donating whatever amount you can afford to express your endorsement of Seedleaf’s work. Donating now, before the start of 2010, will make certain that Seedleaf begins the new decade with strength and your contribution will be tax-deductable for 2009. As always, you can donate with convenience by clicking on the Donate button on the left. We are truly grateful for your support and friendship, and thank you for your shared belief in our work.
Wishing you a joyful and healthful start to the new year!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Self
Education Director
Seedleaf
