Dear Members and Supporters of Pennypack Farm:
Pennypack Farm's Board of Directors has a new president. After four years, I am stepping down, and I'm proud and happy to introduce Kristy Gregory as the new Board President. Many of you know Kristy - she has been the director of our education program for many years, assists in Friday pick-ups, and is at many of our Pennypack Farm activities. And if you don't know Kristy, you'll definitely know her daughter Lily who is always at the farm and knows everyone! With Kristy in her new role as board president, your farm and your farm team are in great hands. Please help me welcome Kristy!
The past four years in which I have served as the board president have been a period of growth and maturity for our farm.
We have an outstanding farm team (Andy, Fred, Margot, Dennis, Raina, and Jessica), and while some of them are working other jobs during the winter season, all of them will be back next spring. It's a rare thing to have such a stable farm team - most farms see some level of turnover, which is OK, but it's a tribute to Andy and Fred to have the entire team come back next year.
Our customer base is strong and stable. Customer satisfaction is high, and the majority of you, our members, stay with the farm year after year. We have a long waiting list, which is unfortunate for those on the list, but to the credit of our farm team, we seem to "fill up" fast and don't have a lot of openings for new members. I'm happy and proud to have such a great group of farm members, and I look forward to being one for many years to come!
Our education programs are growing, and next year we will have Raina Dominguez as full-time, year-round farm educator, focusing on the College Settlement Camp kids, as well as programs for kids and adults in our community. More and better education is a key part of our mission, and it's continuing to grow stronger!
We are on the way to greatly increase our charitable food program. With the help of Joe Ingersoll and Margot Bradley, we installed a large cooler (needed to be able to store food longer), and a large delivery van. We will use these to reach out to communities in our area and provide local fresh food to disadvantaged families.
One more aspect that I would like to point out, as something that we all should notice and be proud of: our farm looks great! In our early years, function was naturally more important than looks, and things could look a little shabby or weedy. Now, with the fields more "in control", the farm has an organized, efficient, yet inspiring and beautiful aesthetic. Pickup days are the best: added to the fields and buildings are you, families, kids, strolling to the U-pick rows, enjoying the farm, talking to each other. Those are the moments that give me, and hopefully you, the greatest pleasure. I credit our farm team, and our wonderful volunteers and board members, in creating and maintaining this look as the backdrop to every pick-up, every education class, every visit to the farm.
Many exciting and big projects are still on the drawing board, and we plan to keep Pennypack Farm growing over the coming years. Kristy and the team will keep you informed of the plans, and invite you to help and participate.
Too many people to thank for their help over the past four years. The farm team, who are great to work with and without whom there would be no Pennypack Farm. The board, dedicated and committed to our joint project, and giving incredible amounts of time and energy. The College Settlement, host and partner to our project, and whose mission we like to share by giving their kids a great outdoor experience (with special thanks to Frank Gerome, Executive Director at the College Settlement of Philadelphia). You, our members, without whom again we would have no farm and no waiting list - many thanks for your support! The group of incredible donors and financial supporters who make our projects possible - thank you for your fabulous support! Margot Bradley, my predecessor as president, and now our Program Coordinator, for her drive and energy to take the farm to higher levels of excellence - you're the best! And finally my wife Titia, and Gerben, Mieke and Bart, who may sometimes grumble about another trip to the farm, but end up enjoying it and supporting it as a family responsibility, I love you and I thank you!
Please help me welcome Kristy Gregory - and wish her much fun and excitement as the next board president of Pennypack Farm!
Harm Scherpbier
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