A Legacy of Hope
In the heart of Charlottetown, the Prince Edward island Farm Centre Association gardeners are growing acres of healthy, garden fresh and nutrient rich organic foods for Islanders in need and offering community garden plots for city dwellers who would like to supplement their pantries with garden-fresh organic produce.We are also sowing seeds of hope in the Farm Centre Legacy Garden and in the hearts and minds of Island people.
The Farm Centre Association is a charitable organization with a mandate to provide island farmers, gardeners and community members with a place to meet, exchange ideas, promote Island agriculture and enjoy arts and cultural events. In partnership with PEI 2014 we have distributed over 11,000 pounds of our bountiful Farm Centre Legacy Garden harvest to hungry Islanders who call upon the services of Charlottetown's food banks, soup kitchens and shelters. In addition, the workshops and seminars we sponsor are teaching people safe and healthy ways to store, cook and preserve fresh food. Fresh healthy produce was served to over 600 families in need.
Over eighty people signed up to be community gardeners in 2014 and we have a waiting list of gardeners eagerly looking forward to tending their own community garden plots next season. The PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada have played a vital role in forging a strong bond between new Island immigrants and the Farm Centre. We look forward to learning from and working with gardeners from other cultures in the coming seasons.
We are working with island schools, after-school and recreation programs to help children understand the importance of healthy eating and sustainable farming. Our historical relationship with the Women's Institute and 4H remains strong. Bringing farmers and urban dwellers together to discuss common goals and farm/food issues is part of our mandate; we strive to do this through educational, social, and cultural activities, including visual arts exhibitions.
The Farm Centre Association is proud to partner with Community organizations offering environmental, economic, health and welfare programs that boost the well being of Islanders. Our various food and information exchange programs, our community and production gardens are designed to encourage a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
The potential of the Legacy Garden is boundless. Situated as it is in the centre of the city it is ideally suited to tourism and cultural pursuits. We can look to Vancouver Island's Butchart Gardens for inspiration. Envision an Atlantic Canadian competitor to Holland's world famous Floriade, or exciting outdoor theatrical extravaganzas. Together we can grow a feast for the body and the soul.
With your help we can continue our quest to put healthy fresh fruits and vegetables on the tables of Islanders who suffer the pain and humiliation of hunger, we can grow our workshop and seminar programs and promote harmony and understanding around rural and urban issues surrounding sustainable living.
Please browse our website, www.peifarmcentre.com and our Prince Edward Island Farm Centre Facebook page to get better acquainted with who we are and how we are fulfilling our goals.
Our Farm Centre Legacy Fund web Page facilitates tax-deductible donations via PayPal.
In our first year we have accomplished much but there is a great deal left to do. A project like this requires vision, organization, expertise and dogged determination. But above all, it takes a community, a community that sees the potential in the seed. A community that understands how the potential for greatness lies buried in the kernel of an idea. We need your donations to help us develop the Legacy Project to its full potential.
"From seeds of community spring a legacy of hope."