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Greetings Friends and Neighbors, 

You find yourself without your headlamp, again. Remembering which jacket pocket you put that darn thing in is a struggle this time of year, and so darkness crowds your daily routines. The path to the house, through the meadow, is uneven and so you walk cautiously. Moon has not yet risen. It is really dark. Your mind swirls with the human dramas – who said what and is upset with who for what reason and wants you to send an email to so-and-so. You realize that looking down offers no assistance to your rate of travel – your feet are finding their own way – and so you look up. Warm November Night Sky reaches down and grabs hold of you. She has been silently pleading for your attention with a shower of Shooting Stars. Maple and Elm stand as bare-limbed silhouettes to the light show, their rooted attention already turned skyward. The World is pulsing. You laugh aloud, the sheer magnitude of the moment overflowing the bounds of your skin. Your sounded breath enters the air and travels out to meet this Night. You are alive and suddenly privy to a vast possibility. You get the distinct sense that the World actually wants you around – even has use for your open eyes and walking feet and beating heart. Imagine, for a moment, what begins to happen when we omit from our daily speech the phrase ‘my life’ and replace it with something a little less grasping – generous words such as ‘the Life entrusted to me.’ This is what I meant in last week’s Letter by Spell-Breaking. 

Why do we give food away if the work involved doesn’t seem likely to benefit us? Is it really in our best interest? By us, I mean the Farm Team – Evan, Erik, Ava, Collin and me(Adam) – and the scores of regular volunteers who join us in the efforts of grazing, growing, gleaning, building, cooking, baking and distributing Soup and Bread as a gift to anyone who is hungry for any reason – and all the generous folks who contribute financial gifts to cover the Farm’s Budget. 

This ‘us’—the extended Farm Family – is thrilled to invite you to this week’s Soup and Bread Gift Distribution, Saturday 11am – 1pm. Due to the weather forecast, our Work Day switches this week to Saturday from 1:30 – 4:30. Find details here: bit.ly/brushbrookworkdays. We are asking for just over $5000 more to cover our estimated expenses for November. Would you consider making a gift to support our work? You can do so HERE.

Societally, we use the word interest to refer to a promised return – really a penalty – that incentivizes people to loan out a bit of what they have to someone else who could use it. Does it follow then that we are primarily interested in things that we imagine will benefit us? This is not what I have seen happening here at the Farm. A kindly TV News Reporter named Keith Silva thought that Vermonters might be interested in the Farm’s gift giving practice, and so he came out to ask us a few questions. Here is what he came up with, an episode of Across the Fence titled "Gift Economy at Brush Brook Community Farm": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqt5glnTZRI


Here is what you will find in this letter:

  1. GIFT DISTRIBUTION DETAILS and FULL MENU
  2. FINANCIAL GIFT REQUEST – detailed November Budget

With Great Care, 

Ava, Erik, Collin, Evan and Adam – The Brush Brook Community Farm Team


SOUP and BREAD GIFT DISTRIBUTION: Saturday 11/11, 11am - 1 pm

    SOUPS:

  1. Brush Brook Soup – Roasted Squash, Tomato, Greens, Beef, Garlic, Herbs, Bone Broth.  
  2. Vegetarian Soup – Pureed Sweet Potato, Cucumber, Tomato, Garlic.

Please bring a mask with you and wear warm clothes. We will have Soup and Bread to take home as well as Hot Soup and Sliced Bread for toasting over the fire. You will need to bring your own Bowl and Spoon with you from home if you would like to eat lunch outside around the fire. We will offer olive oil for toast drizzling and paper napkins. If you would like to make an open-faced grilled cheese, bring toppings with you from home! And don’t forget your Bowl and Spoon.


BUDGET UPDATE: Thank you for considering the November Budget

Many heartfelt thanks to all who have responded to these invitations by sending in Financial Gifts. If you would like to support our work, you can mail checks made out to Brush Brook Community Farm to PO Box 202, Huntington, VT, 05462, bring gifts to the Gift Stand, or donate through the website. We are 100% financially supported by these personal financial gifts. 

Brush Brook Community Farm and Bakery – Nov. Budget

As of 11/11
Gifts Received in Nov – Thank you!  $          798.00
Estimated Expenses for November
Production Expenses
Bread Ingredients & Packaging  $          1,115.50 
Bakery Overhead (Insur., Electric, etc.)  $            555.86 
Bakery Rent  $            300.00 
Farm Expenses $           1,550.00 
Farm/Bakery Team Requested Gifts
Adam Wilson Personal Living (full time)  $            648.08 
Adam Wilson Rent  $            200.00 
Erik Weil (part time) Rent/Housing   $            500.00 
Collin McCarthy (part time) Utilities   $            100.00 
Investments
Cow Barn Purchased Materials  $            200.00 
Fees
Estimated Federal/State Taxes  $            351.22 
Paypal Fees   $            150.00 
Total  $          5,670.66 
Negative Balance from October              (250.00)
Remaining Balance Requested  $         (5,122.66)

Support the Farm & Bakery

The operations of Brush Brook Community Farm & Bakery are maintained by neighborly working hands and financial gifts. Your generous monetary support propels the gift of food forward to those open to receiving it.

Thank you!