Blog
Donor Spotlight | Armstrong Family Shares Their Love of Quail Hill Farm
I grew up in rural Germany with a mother who has always been passionate about growing her own fruits and vegetables. Some of my favorite childhood memories have been picking gooseberries, currants and tomatoes in our backyard and eating them right off the vines. Once I had kids myself I wanted them to have a similar experience. Without a yard in the city, I looked for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to be our extended vegetable garden.
We joined Quail Hill Farm when our boys were four and two years old. The first summer was absolutely magical. Visiting the farm quickly became a highlight of their week and they wanted to go rain or shine. They loved roaming the fields, picking produce, searching for ladybugs and chasing butterflies. Simply being at the farm also proved to be an incredible teaching moment for my oldest son who started to ask a million questions about farming, plants, animals, and the environment as a whole. As he has grown older our conversations have gotten more complex and his younger brother has joined the chatter, too. We talk about how organic farming is better for the planet, how getting local produce has less of an environmental impact than buying produce that has to be shipped to a grocery store. We even found our way talking about soil erosion and water management thanks to the recently installed drip irrigation at the farm.
Our meal times have also gotten a lot more interesting. The boys point out with pride what they have picked themselves. Since our first year at Quail Hill we’ve added two more children to our family. I am looking forward to our future harvest seasons with four kiddos running through the fields and asking even more questions.
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I know our family is very fortunate that we can afford for our children to spend time at Quail Hill Farm and develop an understanding of where food comes from and what efforts go into growing it. As a parent, there’s nothing more rewarding to see their joy when they dig up potatoes by themselves or emerge from under some vines with the biggest grin and a handful of edamame (by far their favorite produce on the farm). Most children do not have that opportunity. Many families who may be interested to join, do not have the means to do so. I am excited that Quail Hill Farm now offers a sliding scale fee structure. I now have the ability to donate to other families farm memberships so that families with less disposable income have the opportunity to join the farm as well.
Another incredible program that was launched in the last couple of years is the Farm to Food Pantry program. When Layton Guenther, Director of Quail Hill Farm, told me about it I immediately knew that this was something my family wanted to support. Even after living in the U.S. for close to two decades I am still in disbelief as to how many families struggle to provide sufficient food for their children and how healthy, organic food is a luxury many families simply cannot afford. It’s even more disheartening to know that this is a constant reality in a place with so much wealth as in the South Fork of Long Island.
I am incredibly proud and happy to support the work that Layton and everyone at Quail Hill puts into serving families who are struggling to provide food for their children. They not only allow them to put dinner on the table, but to do so with healthy, local ingredients. Please consider a donation today so that we can reach even more local families in the Hamptons.
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Thank you Ranjana and the Armstrong family for your continual support of Quail Hill Farm!
To learn more or to make a contribution to the Trust in support of Quail Hill Farm, contact Development Officer Alison Delaney at 631.283.3195, ext. 144 or Farm Director Layton Guenther at 631.267.8492.
