To the Editor:
I sent the following letter to the Edgartown Conservation Commission regarding our support for the FARM Institute.
I write to you today in strong support of the FARM Institute. My children, ages 10 and 8, have been campers at the FARM Institute for the past six years. It is by far their favorite summer camp, and the one that they look forward to all year long. Nowhere else in their lives do they get to engage with farm animals, work in a garden, and learn about sustainability and the importance of hard work. Whenever I pick them up from a day on the farm, they are happy, confident, and excited to share stories of their adventures. This past summer they worked to build a jungle gym for the goats, the first time they had worked with screws and hammers. They were so proud of their accomplishments, and immediately took me to see the structure.
Please know that this type of program and education is rare to find, and is truly a gift for urban children who don’t have the opportunity to get their hands dirty. We are heavily invested in the future sustainability of the FARM Institute, not just for our own children but for those to come.
It would be a travesty to lose this institution, not only for the children here on Martha’s Vineyard, but for all of the children who come from near and far each summer.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Sara Tucker
Vineyard Haven
