Dear friends,
Land to Learn is committed to helping our staff and their families, our partners, and our communities stay healthy and safe during this stressful time.
To help overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, our staff has been working from home effective Monday, March 16. While working remotely, we are all equipped to host and participate in virtual meetings, and we are all available via email and phone.
Most of our work takes place in classrooms. With schools closed for the foreseeable future, our team is working creatively to bring garden education to our students. Prolonged school closure will challenge all students to stay motivated and connected to their education, so our team of educators will collaborate with the teachers we work with to find innovative activities and lessons to offer our students from a distance. As spring arrives, we will plant and grow food more than ever in the garden spaces that remain accessible to us and will work to find ways to share this fresh food bounty with our communities -- while sharing its growing journey for all to learn from and enjoy.
Land to Learn promotes community wellness. For many of our students, school is not only a place of learning, but also a source of meals, emotional support, and healthcare. Our partner school districts and community organizations in Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston, and Garrison, are joining forces to fill in the gaps and provide students with food and essential care. Land to Learn has joined these efforts to do our part to help our communities.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to work together more than ever. A great crisis can also become a great opportunity to strengthen community ties, support one another, and improve our society. We are humbled and inspired by the creative outpouring of grassroots, community action as folks work to lift up those most vulnerable among us to collectively overcome the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19. We sincerely believe that this evolving crisis can become an opportunity for societal transformation.
We urge all in our communities to stay safe, help out, and be strong.
With all of our hearts,
The Land to Learn Team