| Dear Friend, As we put Aurelia’s Garden to bed for the winter, we’re reflecting on what we have accomplished this year. Thanks to all our volunteers, donors and supporters, we’ve been able to grow more nutritious, organic vegetables than ever at our farms in Wayland and Medway—all destined for five area food pantries, where the need has never been greater, and where fresh veggies are the most sought-after foods. During this season of giving and reflection, we’re planning our 2026 growing season – we need your help to meet our goals. May we count on your support this year? Any amount you’re able to give makes a difference. Read on to learn more about our exciting plans for the coming growing season. If you have already donated to our Annual Appeal, thank you! We deeply appreciate your generosity. You can be confident your donation goes to ensuring that local residents are fed. DONATE  Earlier this year, one of these local residents, Corina stood in a line that would grow to 800 people before the food ran out at 12:30. She’d worked in a nursing home, restaurants—and was even a longtime volunteer at the food pantry, La Colaborativa in Chelsea, where she now awaited help. “We can’t go to the store because it’s too expensive,” said Corina, who said she prizes fresh produce—tomatoes, peppers, zucchini—most of all.Like Corina, more than 1 in 3 Massachusetts residents are food insecure, according to a 2025 report by the Greater Boston Food Bank—a figure that is surely higher now that SNAP benefits are at risk for tens of thousands of Massachusetts residents due to federal program cuts. This is why Aurelia’s Garden is more important than ever, and why we so urgently need your support. This past year, we grew and donated more than 10,000 pounds of produce, or close to 75,000 servings. (All told, we’ve harvested more than 50,000 pounds since we began in 2020.) We have embraced healthy soil initiatives that promote high yields, increase nutritional quality and have eliminated our need to irrigate. We continue to contribute to plant breeding research to strengthen the knowledge base of our farm community. And we do all of it on a shoestring budget, thanks to donated land, a sea of passionate volunteers, and frugal leadership.  Given the crisis, we need to do even more in 2026. With your support, we will: Increase our harvest, including the servings we donate by 20%, and the nutritional quality and market value of our produce. Amp up our seed starting efforts. We’ll have more access to greenhouses next year, allowing us to significantly increase seedling production, which will allow us to expand land under cultivation at our Wayland site. We’ll also be able to offer seedling workshops to more food pantry clients, teaching them how to grow their own herbs and vegetables. Increase the part-time hours of our field assistant. This position, one of only two paid staff, has made our operation much more efficient, and they are a welcoming guide to new volunteers. Next year, they’ll be key in overseeing greenhouse operations and extending our season. Grow our donations to $25,000, to make all this, and more, possible.DONATE  We can’t do this without your support. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation this holiday season to help us continue this important work. Any amount makes a difference. To donate, please visit aureeliasgarden.org/donate-to-aurelias-garden. Your generosity ensures that we can continue to serve Corina, and thousands of neighbors like her, in the new year and beyond. In gratitude, The Aurelia’s Garden team P.S. Interested in volunteering at Aurelia’s Garden? Visit us at aureliasgarden.org to learn more.  We deeply value your support. Contributions can be made securely online or by sending a check to: Aurelia’s Garden, c/o K. Martin 40 Beaver Pond Road Lincoln, MA 01773Aurelia’s Garden is a 501(c)3 non-profit and all donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. EIN#: 85-1244271 |