LIVINGSTON MANOR – Gael Roots Community Farm is launching ‘Grow with Us’, an end of year fundraising campaign to raise $100,000 to grow and sustain their community food access and agriculture education programming in Livingston Manor and the Town of Rockland.

Gael Roots is a community farm that connects food and fiber arts to place. Since 2022 it has cultivated the next generation through providing hands-on food and fiber education on topics such as soil science, animal husbandry, ecology, and natural wool dyeing, provided paid internships for youth, and hosted community workshops. Gael Roots is deeply committed to sharing knowledge, training future farmers and fiber artists, ensuring access to nourishing local food, and fostering community more deeply. 

Addressing local food insecurity is a core value of Gael Roots Community Farm. Sullivan County is experiencing the highest rate of food insecurity in the region at 14%. One out of five children don’t know where their next meal will come from. During a time with an increasing cost of living and grocery prices, uncertainty with federal nutrition assistance programs, and growing unemployment, Gael Roots understands the need to get more affordable produce into the community and sees an opportunity to support more local growers in the process.  In 2025 they launched a pay-what-you-can farmstand and collaborated with Calliope-on-Main Foundation to open a free community food pantry, Calliope & Gael Grocers, in Livingston Manor. This is the only pantry in the area that offers fresh produce, meat and dairy when possible and the ability to “shop” in a grocery store like setting.

“Raising funds will allow us to grow more produce for food access, bring hands-on agriculture education to local students, foster our fiber arts programming, and expand our partnerships with other farmers and organizations in the Catskills,” said farm director, Iris Fen Gillingham.  

Donations to the ‘Grow With Us’ campaign support critical infrastructure projects, educational programming costs, and food access operations. Gael Roots is fiscally sponsored by the Good Work Institute, which allows them to receive tax deductible donations on behalf of the farm. Please go to www.gaelrootsfarm.org/grow to learn more and donate.