| From A Greener World’s Executive Director, Andrew Gunther.
Dear Friends,
As we move deeper into the new reality that is COVID-19, our hearts go out to everyone impacted–whether it’s physically, personally, economically or otherwise. We have seen firsthand how this virus can upend lives. That said, I’ve been humbled to watch our team make a lightning quick pivot to focus 100% on our farmers and supporters during this time (while managing to work upwards of 60 hours a week from home with children out of school). We’ve seen adaptability, difficult hardships, business closures, generous kindness and everything in between. This is life in a pandemic, and we have seen people rise to the moment.
It seems like every time you hear the news, a new city, states or community has gone into lockdown. The United States now has the largest amount of infected people on the planet, and it’s terrifying to think how that number could rise when a full testing regimen is implemented. Amid the fears that our health system may buckle under the pressure and the apparent lack of resources for our amazing health workers, our role is and will continue to be a resource for farmers–and all those connected to a sustainable food supply.
We’ve been keeping a close eye on how this is impacting that supply. One concern we’re hearing is that restaurants who tried to stay open doing takeout are seeing their communities turn into ghost towns, and a number of them have closed until lockdowns are lifted. Let’s keep those folks in our minds as they are forced to lay off staff and consider their future. In Europe we’re hearing about increased restrictions on farmers’ markets and breed stock sales. In South Africa it is too early to tell, but our first instinct is that their markets will react similarly to ours. As farmers and producers, by definition we are strong, resilient people. Most of us practice self-isolation as a part of the job. But please, if you find yourself needing a friendly voice, feel free to give your Farmer and Market Outreach Coordinator a call. Sometimes it’s just good to talk.
To keep the email traffic down, we’ve consolidated communications and included links to resources below. We invite you to share any others. I hope this goes without saying, but please reach out if there’s any way we can support you during this time–or if you have news and tips to share with others. We can all use good news right now. Wishing you and yours health, safety and peace,
Andrew Gunther
Executive Director
A Greener World
A quick message to our farmers: You will be hearing from our Marketing team if you haven’t already. If you can, please take a minute to speak with them. We are gathering information to inform strategy about where we can best allocate resources (matching products with markets, supporting preparation for movement restrictions, adapting to online markets, etc.). Many thanks in advance.
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