Editor,

Have you peeked behind the old Bayview School building lately? I spy a 20-foot by 48-foot hoophouse filled with tomato plants that nearly scrape the top, 130-foot rows of hardy greens and root vegetables, and a 13-tree orchard of young plum, pear, Asian pear, and quince trees. I see bees and insects pollinating and hear birds chirping and twittering.

What, praytell, might this be? Beyond being a sight (and site) to see, this is The Big ACRE (Abundant Community Resources for Everyone), the new one-acre collaborative farm that is providing food to Good Cheer Food Bank and South Whidbey School District.

Six months ago this was an empty dirt field. Now it is fully planted, flourishing with life, and brimming with abundance and fresh food for South Whidbey community members. This has only been possible through the countless hands and hearts of community members and organizations who have donated time, efforts, money, equipment, materials, advice, kind thoughts, and more to show just how important feeding our friends, neighbors, and youth with nutritious, fresh, and locally-grown produce is. We hear you. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This calls for celebration, don’t you think? Please come enjoy the coming of fall with Good Cheer, learn more about The Big ACRE, and help us close out an incredible season at our Fall Harvest Party: Saturday, Oct. 1 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at 5611 S. Bayview Road in Langley (behind the old Bayview School building). If you like, bring apples for pressing or a snack for sharing, and if the weather shines on us (or is pleasantly overcast), we’ll have lawn games for playing. Thank you.

ANH BUI

Good Cheer Food Bank & Thrift Stores