5 charities for pollinators, food, and farms
Charitable giving has always been important to me. Here are a few organizations to check out.
Charitable mindfulness: Either you have it or you don’t. That’s my husband’s sentiment. I don’t agree with it. If someone has the means, the only missing part is the desire to support a cause or a person. Even if one doesn’t have the financial means, they can contribute with skills and service.
My charitable experience started when I was 14. My mom said that I had to volunteer at the local hospital. As a candy striper. Yes, the red-and-white pinafore candy striper. I was mortified to wear the dress—for 4-hour shifts—in public. However, I wasn’t alone. All of the other volunteers wore them too—at least the girls. The boys wore blue coats. The outfit quickly became a non-issue because I loved the people. By the time I started driving, I volunteered 8-hour shifts, which was on top of school and multiple part-time jobs. That experience made me interested in other charitable work, which later included volunteering at a zoo in Rhode Island, spending a week repairing boardwalks at a wildlife refuge in Maine, and many other efforts. I’ve also used VolunteerMatch to get paired with virtual service opportunities.
Whether you give with service or financial contributions, I’ve made a list of a few organizations that help pollinators, food systems, and farms.
Charities supporting pollinators and bees
Pollinator Partnership | Last year I contributed 10 percent of my honey sales to the Pollinator Partnership. It’s “the largest in the world dedicated exclusively to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems.” They manage several amazing programs including monarch efforts and bee-friendly farming initiatives.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation | This year I contributed 10 percent of my honey sales to Xerces Society. They help protect wild bees, beetles, rare butterflies, and they implement the Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA programs. You can also turn to them for citizen science projects and volunteer opportunities. My apiary joined Xerces’ pollinator conservation habitat program earlier this year.
Charities supporting food systems and farms
Rodale Institute | Rodale is dedicated to researching farming practices and educating others on regenerative farming. I frequently consult their research for my own hobby farming purposes. I love that they’re helping to bridge the gab between food and health. This month they organize a Farm-to-Healthcare Immersion and started other events for healthcare practitioners to learn directly from farmers.
Organic Growers School | I attend the Organic Growers spring conference whenever life and time allows. It’s one of my favorite events. I not only learn a ton and take home plants, mushroom spores, and books, but it’s on an adorable college campus just north of Asheville, North Carolina with idyllic stone walls and structures. They offer a ton of educational opportunities, farmer apprenticeships, and small farm support.
Utopian Seed Project | I don’t know of another organization supporting the South’s agricultural resiliency in the way that the Utopian Seed Project contributes. Through crop trials and documenting seed heritage, the group is helping to build a future food system better adapted to our changing climate. They run several “trial to table” tasting events and I almost attended two of them, but still haven’t made it happen.
I’m always looking for pollinator and agricultural organizations to support. Please let me know where I can contribute.