Did you know monthly donors are a sustaining life force behind the programs of Gathering Ground?

If one of your resolutions is to get more involved, we’d like to suggest you become a monthly donor to Gathering Ground. It’s easy! With just a couple clicks, you can sign up to give a monthly donation at whatever level is right for you.

Summer of 2023, monthly donors will be invited to a special event highlighting their importance to our organization. It will be fun and tasty!

Join a cohort of people investing in the planet, in the community, in our future. And have fun doing it. And if that’s not reason enough…

5 MORE reasons to become a monthly donor!

#1. New monthly donors will have their gifts doubled! 

We are excited that a generous donor has pledged to match the annual total gift of all new (and increasing) monthly donors up to $5,000! Help us unlock this $5,000 gift!

That means if you choose to give a gift of $35/month, your gift will become $840 for the year! 

If you already give $12 a month, and you increase it to $22, your gift will become $384!

#2. Your investment will bare much fruit (literally and figuratively)

Our first harvest of pears was enjoyed by Island School students this year. We are expanding our chestnut nursery and orchards, and our mixed nut and fruit orchards are all maturing and starting to bear fruit. As our trees and shrubs mature, the gifts they produce will continue to be shared and utilized by our community, including the WI Food Pantry, the Island School. In addition to the fruit we are growing, Gathering Ground hosts a Farmers Market that supports Island farmers, bakers and makers by creating a fun weekly market to share the bounty with Island residents and visitors.

Gathering Ground creates opportunities for Island students to engage the grounds and learn actively, with ongoing projects in the middle school collecting data in the chestnut orchard.

Gathering Ground also sponsors the weekly Farmers Market, making fresh produce available to Island residents and bolstering the local economy by creating opportunities for local farms to bring their produce to market.

#3. You are investing in the next generation

Our summer internship, Ground School, is growing and shaping the lives of young adults.

With 6 years under our belt, we understand the need our internship is fulfilling for young people so we are creating robust, comprehensive experiences. Many of our students are coming to Ground School with a desire to have hands-on experiences to round out academic studies, others are curious about what kind of opportunities there are in agriculture. All of them share an urgent desire to be good stewards of the earth.

“It raised my confidence in growing food an exceptional amount. It also just raised my confidence towards working in general… I now understand that I can do things that seem really hard, and have a great time doing it also!”  – Jaxson, 2022 Ground School Grad from UW Madison

“This summer I learned that there are so many different opportunities and ways to get involved with agriculture sustainability as a career choice. – Ana, 2022 Ground School Grad from Augustana

#4. You are creating a place for everyone!

A new forest walking trail has been installed in Gathering Ground’s wooded acres. Pollinator gardens are being planted. A composting program is open to all people. A gazebo and pavilion are in the works. Orchards, nursery, gardens. So much is growing and being created.

Gathering Ground is bridging the gap between farmland (where we work) and parkland (where we play). We are making our 38 acres a place for everyone to enjoy – from native bees looking for flowers to picnickers looking for a place to lunch. All are welcome to enjoy the Grounds.

Please stop by and come on in! Take a walk and see how things are growing!

#5. You are creating connections!

Gathering Ground makes connections through our events, gatherings, school programs and farmers market. We are not only connecting people to people, but people to the earth and where their food comes from.  Through building relationships we are providing opportunities for personal, professional and business growth.