Re: Food Sustainability for the Valley

You already know how fortunate we are to live and work in this beautiful valley with kind folks. Folks who want a rich life – rich in time with family, quality in their labours whether home builders, retailers, or artisans, all balanced with ample time to adventure in nature.

Folks like you – willing to live a bit more simply, and tread a little more lightly on the earth
Folks who give back.

We live with so much abundance that it is hard to think of hungry people close to us. Yet the last three years we have seen the valley cut off by fires, floods, accidents, and avalanches. Immediately grocery shelves emptied and grocery prices soared.

Groundswell Community Greenhouse and Gardens is at the heart of food sustainability. Kept alive by a lot of hard-working volunteers; over the past 3 years, it has risen to the challenge and…
• Increased its community gardens beds from 8 to 50
• Increased its greenhouse production by almost double and become year-round
• Increased its market garden production by 25%
• Increased its education programs to help others produce higher yields by 100%
• Has now taught 270 Laird students over 2 years how to grow their own food and in the process be responsible citizens by contributing to the Food Bank.
• Has moved all its efforts to permaculture, and creating living soil that ensures sustainability, and a gently treated environment capable of withstanding the impact of thousands of newcomers.
If Groundswell is going to continue to help the valley feed its people, particularly during a crisis, we must have a full-time, qualified greenhouse manager. We cannot achieve that without your help. Research has told us that the best garden fundraiser is an annual festival of lights. It can be done when the garden is sleeping, freeing up all the volunteers to help with the event, and it will bring the beauty of the garden back to the community during the holiday season.

Will you join us in helping to create food sustainability for the valley by sponsoring the first annual Garden of Lights? The information is enclosed. We would be delighted to answer your questions and entertain your ideas to make it an outstanding community event for you, your family, and your friends.

With thanks,
The Board of Groundswell Network Society 2023