Giving Tuesday is November 28, and we are happy to announce that all of the funds we raise will benefit educational programming at the Tom Settlemire Community Garden! Click to learn more.

Update on November 17: Every dollar you give will be MATCHED by the Marilyn Setlemire Fund!

You may have visited the Tom Settlemire Community Garden this summer, or seen the story in the newspapers – along with the usual gardeners tending their plots of homegrown vegetables, the Garden was also a place where little green thumbs flourished. Early last spring, hundreds of first grade students from Coffin Elementary started seeds in their classrooms. In June they visited the Garden to transplant their seedlings for the good of their community – the butternut squash they planted will soon be part of Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program’s Thanksgiving boxes. Over the summer the squash grew into a great bed of vines twisting and turning around one another in ordered chaos. In October, first graders visited the garden to see the bounty as well as press cider and gather seeds to be planted next spring from sunflowers that were also grown from seedlings started in the classroom.

In reflecting upon the time spent at the TSCG this year, a teacher from Coffin Elementary School said: “The overall experience was wonderful. It fully connected to our plant unit and gave kids an experience they may not ever have otherwise. Going back and seeing the plants my kids planted last year was wonderful for both me and my new students. I am hopeful both the fall and spring trips can become a staple for first grade plant studies.”

The kids said:

  • “We got to see and touch lots of plants.”
  • “We got to see cider coming out of just squished up apples!”
  • “I tried tomatoes for the first time.”
  • “I loved the sunflower hut – so cool!”
  • “When flowers die, the seeds come out and new flowers can grow!”
  • “I didn’t know pumpkins grew in different sizes!”

We want to see this all happen again next summer – and to do that we need your support.

Following the excitement from this program and so many other educational opportunities that have been initiated at TSCG this year, we are excited to put all of the funds raised on this year’s Giving Tuesday, November 28th, toward more educational programming at the TSCG.

We hope to see education at the Garden expand to meet the needs of more and more children in the greater Brunswick area. Follow along over the next couple weeks leading up to Giving Tuesday as we tell you more about how your dollars and time can go toward making a difference in our community, and share stories from volunteers and children impacted by being a part of programming at the Tom Settlemire Community Garden.

Thanks for helping us create something great in our community!

#GivingTuesday is a global giving movement that has been built by individuals, families, organizations, businesses and communities in all 50 states and in countries around the world. This year, #GivingTuesday falls on November 28. #GivingTuesday harnesses the collective power of a unique blend of partners to transform how people think about, talk about, and participate in the giving season. It inspires people to take collective action to improve their communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they believe in, and help create a better world. #GivingTuesday demonstrates how every act of generosity counts, and that they mean even more when we give together.