A lot happened in 2021!

A garden

With your support, Incredible Edible Milbridge grew in leaps and bounds. We grew approximately 8000 lbs. of vegetables, flowers, and fruit — all free to the public.

More than 50 participants attended five garden workshops. Through our collaboration with Community Caring Collaborative, 75 families were sent enough seed to start a garden. This wasn’t possible without your support.

With help from dedicated volunteers, we installed a 15′ x 25′ greenhouse behind our office on Main Street! More than 115 volunteers helped in the gardens, including Wyman’s “Wild Blew Crew.”

Your donations helped us install a children’s playground and a free little library at the Milbridge Commons Wellness Park. Volunteers helped plant three shade and fourteen apple/peach trees.

Talking about volunteers, two amazing women helped us with OWLette, our first ever summer camp for girls! Together, Jackie B. and Tip A. donated 48 hours of volunteer time.

Your support helped us lead two summer camps for girls at the Milbridge Commons. 18 campers learned outdoor, naturalist and gardening skills. During the second camp, the girls hiked nearly four miles.

With Maine Outdoor School, we hosted an Outing Club for Women, and took nearly 30 women on six outings around Washington County. Women came as far as Belfast and Lubec to attend these outings!

Your donations allowed us to award a $2500 scholarship to Eve Rottersman. Eve is in her sophomore year at the University of Maine at Augusta, and is enrolled in their Bachelor of Science Nursing Program.

Nursing student smiling

Your donations ALSO brought in $1555 during our annual diaper drive. This is equivalent to 9828 diapers!

Gardener Smiling

We want to extend a HUGE thank you to Janis Lesbines, the lead gardener at the Milbridge Commons. Recently, Janis announced her retirement. While growing nutritious produce for an entire community, she also provided us with incomparable beauty. It’s hard to image the Milbridge Commons without her, but she has laid the foundation for a bright future for this amazing space into which she has poured her heart and soul. Our deep gratitude to Janis for her devotion, her commitment, and her love.

Machias Savings Bank helped us start a book group, centered on issues of race inequity. Two separate groups discussed “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo. This book led to the formation of WHRL’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Group.

Pammy Dyer Stewart won the “Leaders & Luminaries” Award by the Camden National Bank for her exemplary board work.

Chris Kuhni, our executive director, was honored for her volunteer work at the Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Ceremony in Boston. And at the end of the year, an anonymous donor stepped in to pay off our mortgage and provide a salary for a executive director!

 
Thanks to your support, WHRL thrived in 2021. Thank you.
 
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