Support young farmers this Giving Tuesday!

Growing Farmers, Growing Soil, Growing Community

Every dollar raised from this silent auction supports new and young farmers here on Southern Vancouver Island, while also contributing to a broader need: across B.C, 22% of people struggle to access healthy, affordable food (United Way BC). If we want secure, local food in the next decade, we need to invest in training the next generation of regenerative growers.

At Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture, we don’t just talk about a better food system. We build it. The land at Sandown was once gravel, compacted, tired. Today, because of hundreds of hands in the soil and a community willing to experiment, it is growing vegetables, pollinator habitat, and small farm businesses with real prospects.

Our farmer incubator program provides:

• Land access without a lifetime of debt

• Shared infrastructure that makes small-scale farming actually viable

• Peer mentorship and real-time business support

• A community of people who believe local food should be the norm, not the exception

This Giving Tuesday, we’re launching our Bid to Grow fundraiser — a silent auction that directly fuels on-farm learning, land regeneration, and the next wave of farmers who will feed their community.

You’ll find items donated by local makers and community builders who know that a resilient food system is built in the field. Every bid is more than a donation — it’s an investment in the farmers who commit their seasons, energy, and livelihoods to stewarding land and producing food responsibly.

Bid to Grow

Your support is not abstract. It pays for:

• Training, workshops, and one-on-one coaching for new farmers

• Infrastructure that makes small farms operational from day one

• Harvesting and donating food for the Saanich food bank

Local food on Southern Vancouver Island depends on farmers who understand their land and their communities and can make a livelihood farming sustainably. Together, we are demonstrating that farming can be regenerative, profitable, and community-driven.

Thank you for standing with emerging farmers and believing in the kind of food system that puts land health and people at the centre.

Warmly,

Emily Harris

Executive Director

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Interested in contributing another way?

Donate to Growing Young Farmers Society here and help empower, encourage, and educate youth in food literacy at Sandown Centre.

$75 covers a K-12 class for a one-hour field trip!