The following article appeared in the Weston Town Crier on December 15th.

A working landscape. Local food source. Environmental and food educator of all ages. Steward of town forests and fields. Partner with urban youth organizations. Provider of food access to underprivileged communities. This is Land’s Sake.

Since its founding in 1980, Land’s Sake may be Weston’s most well recognized but least understood community organization. Thanks to a unique partnership between the Town of Weston and Land’s Sake’s founders in 1980, the 501c3 nonprofit organization has remained a key natural and community resource with an important mission of connecting people to the land through farming, forestry, and education.

Land’s Sake helps create much of Weston’s rural character through its operations at the main farm on Wellesley Street in the heart of town, as well as at fields on Concord Road and Merriam Street. Here, farmers grow food for over 140 CSA shareholders, a farm stand runs from June to October, and Land’s Sake’s education staff teaches thousands of school children about nature, the origins of food, nutrition, and ecology.

In partnership with the Weston Forest and Trail Association and the Weston Conservation Commission, Land’s Sake provides services to help maintain Weston’s open spaces, forests and trails. Land’s Sake operates the Town’s unique maple sugaring program and annually produces maple syrup from local sugar bush while teaching and engaging Middle School children in its operations.

In addition, on behalf of the Town of Weston, the organization grows and donates approximately 20,000 pounds of produce to food access/assistance organizations such as Community Servings, the Council on Aging, Lovin’ Spoonfuls, and St. Julia’s food pantry. Food access is an increasingly pressing issue crossing geographic and economic lines; Land’s Sake recognizes its unique role as a suburban food producer and hopes to work with more organizations to make healthy food choices accessible to more populations.

The organization focuses on connecting community through local food experiences by hosting a monthly Supper Club at the Josiah Smith Tavern, holding the annual Strawberry Festival in June and Soupapalooza at the main farm at the end of October. Collaborations with local businesses like Pigeon Hill Preserves and Reseska Apiaries produce adult educational offerings on food preservation and bee keeping and encourage local residents to produce and preserve their own food while honoring food-related traditions.

Like most community and educational farms, Land’s Sake’s generates substantial revenue through the sale of produce, products, and services. Earned revenues cover most direct costs and operational expenses but not additional mission, administrative, maintenance and philanthropic costs that must be raised through memberships and donations, a typical formula for most nonprofits.

In celebration of its 30th Anniversary in September, 2011, Land’s Sake launched its Growing the Roots Campaign fundraising campaign to raise $300,000 to enhance operations and organizational development. With the first contributions, Land’s Sake began redesigning the education programs and bringing more children to the farm and purchased the framework of a new greenhouse. With remaining funds, the organization hopes to improve its website and engage the community in innovative ways, as well as develop internal capacity with new financial and fundraising systems.

Land’s Sake must raise $40,000 more by December 31 to reach the Growing the Roots campaign goal. With this additional support, Land’s Sake will be able to further improve its farming efficiency, expand its educational programs and invest in much-needed equipment that will enable its staff and volunteers to meet the existing and expanding needs of the community. Please join with friends, neighbors, and the community by supporting Land’s Sake with a contribution this year. All donations are tax deductible and can be made online at www.landssake.org or by mail to Land’s Sake,Inc.; 27 Crescent Street; Attn: Growing the Roots, Weston, MA, 02493. For information, please contact Executive Director Eric Kreilick (781.893.1162) or Board President Alyson Muzila (781.690.0592).

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