Dear Farm Discovery & Live Earth Family,

In this time of isolation, we wanted to reach out to you all and let you know we are thinking of you. We understand that this is an uncertain time for all and that some members of our community may be facing extreme challenges as a result. We have been inspired by other organizations’ creative ideas for staying engaged and, as a team, Farm Discovery at Live Earth wants to support and uplift you all any way we can.

We are keeping positive at the farm and planning on utilizing this time to refocus both on the land, but also on our greater community. We miss not having community members on the farm, so we’ve resolutely decided to find ways to bring the farm to you! Below is our plan for the next month, visit us on Instagram for daily content.

Projects to Support our Community

1. Virtual Farm Skills, Cooking, Preserving, Science, Nutrition and Community Digital enrichment. Use hashtags to search by category. #FDVirtual
we are posting all of this to instagram, our facebook page, our youtube channel, twitter, linkedin and on this blog.
  • Daily Farm updates
    • Visit us digitally everyday to see the fields progress and learn about how we work with the land (and the weather!).
    • We’ll also make sure to share little moments of beauty in nature we notice out in the field.
    • Join us Live for on a farm walk Monday (Live 10:30am PST) #FDFarmWalk
  • Plant Identification & Uses – Monday 
    • Learn plant names and uses. Being able to identify plants around us and know their health benefits can be instrumental in developing connection to and understanding of our natural surroundings. #FDPlantID
  • Cooking, Baking and More! – Tuesday
    • Check out our favorite recipes and preserving projects. #FDCooking
  • Mindfulness & Yoga – Wednesday (live at 3pm PST)
    • Join us for short mindfulness practices, guided meditation for kids and Yoga poses to sooth anxiousness. #FDYoga
  • DIY & Re-purposing – Thursday
    • Check out our favorite natural crafts including home goods like dye and soap and ways to re-purpose. #FDdiy
  • Health & Wellness – Friday
    • Tips and tricks for staying healthy (mind and body, physical and immune systems). #FDHealth
  • Paying it Forward – Saturday
    • We also want to continue to inspire others to get involved in the community from home through ‘reach-out’ challenges, calling on ya’ll to share positively with others as well. #FDGive
  • Earth Care – Sunday
    • Facts, tips, and tricks for living life as an environmental steward.
    • We’ll address a different theme each week. #FDEarthCare
  • Advice: let us know if you’re gardening or planning on it and have any questions. You can send them to education@farmdiscovery.org We’d love to chat! You can also support us by getting your seeds from Renees Garden with coupon code: FR338A at check out

2. Harnessing our program energy to prepare for the future when you all will be back.

  • Implementing no-till, regenerative agriculture methods like we’ve always dreamed.
  • Growing more even more food.
  • Building education installations and making repairs to infrastructure.
  • Nurturing our wild spaces, continuing to provide healthy habitats for wildlife with few options in lieu of habitat fragmentation and destruction.

3. Partnering with other community organizations to get Farm Discovery Produce to the doorsteps of those in need.

We so appreciate the support from the community that continues to make the work we do possible and our hearts stay with you all. Below is a poem written by Fr. Richard Hendrick about COVID 19. It gave us perspective and we hope it does the same for you.

Wishing you well, With Love
The Farm Discovery & Live Earth Team

Support Farm Discovery’s Resilience

“Lockdown”

Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighborhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.
Fr. Richard Hendrick, OFM
March 13th 2020