Happy Fall Fellow Gardeners!

As this month comes to a close, I want to take a moment and reflect on the last year. Last October, after 4.5 years at GFE, I stepped into the role of Executive Director. Stewarding this garden and working with our teachers, staff and volunteers is a joy and a pleasure - I feel grateful every day that this is my job. As I look back over 2017, I am amazed at what the Garden has accomplished. Our programs are truly thriving, our volunteer hours are full and we are rebuilding old infrastructure brick by brick, raised bed by raised bed.

When it can feel like the world is in a tough spot, coming to Garden for the Environment is an active and conscious choice to do good in our little corner of San Francisco. We are sequestering carbon with our diverse and climate appropriate plantings. We are empowering people to take back the concrete and plant permeable spaces instead. We are joining together as a community of diverse, optimistic and inquisitive people to make compost and connect over a shared love for living things.

I became a gardener because I liked to cook. I feel that cooking for others is an act of love, and I have learned that gardening is the same. Garden for the Environment is an act of love to our community, our City and our world. GFE is tended this year by 4 staff; 1,421 volunteer hours; 714 school kids; 22 Get Up! students; 513 public workshop attendees; more than 20 expert guest instructors; 3 neighborhood hawks; thousands, millions of birds, bees and bugs; and billions of fungus and bacteria.

We have so much more we want to accomplish. We are inspired, we are motivated, and we need your help. Later this month, in your mailbox or email inbox you will receive a request from us to support our work. If you believe that Garden for the Environment is valuable, please help us by making a donation.

In a few weeks, I will be taking some time off to welcome a new baby and future environmental advocate into the world. I feel confident taking leave because of the incredible network of people who will be managing this space while I am gone. Once spring comes around and I'm well settled into motherhood I cannot wait to be back and get to work. We have so much yet to accomplish.

In this time of Thanksgiving I am so deeply grateful to each of you that makes GFE a positive and inspiring force in this world.

Happy gardening,

Maggie