A Quiet Place to Sit: Announcing the Pitney Meadows Bench & Tree Dedication Program
I had the good fortune to sit very still recently on a trip to Middlebury College, where my partner works. We were there for graduation weekend and took a walk to our favorite spot, The Knoll, Middlebury’s own Community Garden. If you’ve never been, it’s worth a visit! There on the college’s busiest weekend and much to our surprise, we found ourselves completely alone surrounded by only the waving grasses and sounds of birds and insects all around us. After a long sit, I walked away with a simple, yet profound “a ha” moment. While I’ve been to The Knoll during bustling times of activities and pizza making and enjoyed every minute, I realized on this day, that The Knoll, much like Pitney Meadows, serves an equal, if not more important purpose than bringing people together – it is a place to do nothing. And, that is critical in these times.
As Wendell Berry, so eloquently framed this notion in “The Unsettling of America:”
“If we are to be properly humble in our use of the world, we need places that we do not use at all. We need the experience of leaving something alone. We need places that we forbear to change, or influence by our presence, or impose on even by our understanding; places that we accept as influences upon us, not the other way around, that we enter with the sense, the pleasure of having nothing to do there; places that we must enter in a kind of cultural nakedness, without comforts or tools, to submit rather than to conquer. We need what other ages would have called sacred groves. We need groves, anyhow, that we would treat as if they were sacred – in order, perhaps, to perceive their sanctity.”
As Executive Director, I often get caught up in making sure we’re offering enough engagement opportunities at the Farm through our Work to Learn, Try and Learn, and Explore to Learn programs, that even I forget to preserve that sacred space for quiet and reflection. That’s why I’m so excited to announce our new bench dedication program which answers this call so clearly. Through our stewardship planning process and associated survey in the fall, we learned that so many of you are hungry for more places to sit and just watch the farm or our woodlands, waterways, and trails. You also shared your accessibility challenges on the trails with nowhere to sit and rest. We heard you!
Program Details
Starting today, we are producing ten beautiful cedar benches handcrafted by artisans at the Saratoga Joinery. These benches will be sited on the farm through 2025, with five installed this year and five next year.
These benches are available for dedication with a $7,500 gift. Each 5’ handmade cedar bench features an 8” x 2” etched zinc plaque with raised text and border, a natural satin finish, and a recessed background painted black. The plaque will be engraved with your customized message, describing the intent of the dedication.
Each bench is estimated to last 10 years and will be eligible for replacement at that time.
For a donation of $3,000, you can help us add much-needed shade to our wide-open acreage by purchasing a native tree. Tree options are carefully matched to specific locations on the farm, ensuring they thrive in their new home. Your generous gift includes the maintenance of the tree for its entire lifetime. If you choose to donate a tree without a bench, we can install a customized plaque at the foot of the tree to commemorate your contribution.
Grab One of the Ten Before They're Gone!
These significant gifts help support the production of the bench, increased access for recreation at the Farm, and all of the programs offered here, from education to food sovereignty.
We hope you’ll consider being part of this group of ten supporters who will change the landscape of the farm. Your contribution will enhance the visitor experience, providing more opportunities to sit, breathe, and enjoy the tranquility of our farm.
Please make your bench donation here!
Special thanks to the Saratoga Joinery for excitedly partnering with us to make this program happen. Saratoga Joinery is a community-supported woodworking shop in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY with a mission to make woodworking accessible to all. Strong believers in the transformational power of community, woodcraft and creative spaces, Saratoga Joinery provides an expansive, fully-staffed and well-equipped space for people of all backgrounds and experience levels to learn, connect, and build.
As part of the organization's focus on community and training, Saratoga Joinery conducts service projects for local community organizations. The white cedar bench for Pitney Meadows was handcrafted by three Saratoga Joinery members who volunteered to build it together. Using real wood joinery, the bench is a functional, beautiful piece of art meant to withstand the test of time.
"As a nonprofit organization ourselves, we understand the power of community banding together to meet a need," said Tori Colarusso, Executive Director. "Our community service projects allow us to provide that support while also providing a real-life educational opportunity for our members.”
Thank you for your support,
Brooke and team