Dear Farm Friends:
Alemany Farm is on a roll.
This past year has been our most productive ever. We broke a new harvest record and in 2013 produced 7 tons of organic fruits and vegetables — all of which was distributed for free to farm volunteers, farm neighbors, families at the Free Farm Stand, and to St. Martin de Porres Soup Kitchen.
As always, our most important crop was public education. In 2013 we hosted 58 school field trips, service organizations, and corporate and faith-based groups. More than 800 people came out to the garden for field trips, continuing Alemany Farm’s record as a favorite place for environmental education and community building. And this does not even include the many individuals and families who come out on their own all year long to volunteer their time and grow their knowledge of organic agriculture.
To maintain this track record of success, we need your assistance. We only ask our supporters for donations one time a year — and now is that time. Please make a tax-deductible donation today to keep Alemany Farm growing.
Even as we stayed focused on our core mission of food security and environmental education, we made huge strides in improving the farm site this year:
• In February we rebuilt our greenhouse in the course of two fun and productive community workdays. The new greenhouse has been a big boost to the farm’s efficiency.
• In May, working in collaboration with California College of the Arts students, we rebuilt the south portion of our toolshed, giving us new space to store tools and materials, and a nicer face for the farm entrance.
• Working in collaboration with Neighborhood Vineyards, in June we installed a pinot noir vineyard on the east portion of the Farm.
• And this fall, again with CCA students, we began construction on an outdoor kitchen. Once completed, the outdoor kitchen will provide a space for culinary education and community celebrations.
Please make a donation today so that we can continue this vital work. As a volunteer-run organization, we’re lean and mean. Every dollar you give goes directly to food security and environmental education programs. This includes seeds, starts, tools, and supplies, which are the raw materials we use week-in-week-out for our work.
This year California College of the Arts students made some beautiful Alemany Farm Cookbooks as part of a class project. The first five supporters to make a donation of at least $100 will receive one of these unique volumes as a thank you from us.
The hand-illustrated and hand-bound cookbooks are one-of-a-kind: Recipes are divided by season, and each includes something grown at Alemany Farm. Many of the recipes were crowd-sourced from farm volunteers and neighbors. Remember, we just have a few, so they are only available to the first five donors of $100 or more.
We know that you value the work we do at Alemany Farm. And we value anything you can give — whether that means an afternoon pushing a wheelbarrow up the slope, or a tax-deductible donation at year’s end.
Thank you, as always, for your work to make San Francisco more food secure. We hope you have a peaceful year end, and we look forward to seeing you in the new year.
The Farm Team