Every Neighbor Nourished: Investing in Food, Farm & Nutrition Security

Reflections from Kearsarge Food Hub’s 2026 Summer Benefit Gala

Soonipi Hollow Farm, owned by Deb and Craig Langner. They manage the land in harmony with nature and produce an abundance of blueberries with a pick-your-own model.

On the evening of July 23rd, The Kearsarge Food Hub welcomed the community to enjoy a perfect evening on Soonipi Hollow Farm for our 2nd Annual Summer Benefit Gala. The sun was shining and the air was warm (and not too hot!), while Decatur Creek serenaded the barn with their delighting string instruments, Bluebird Mobile Bar poured seasonal cocktails over ice, and Chef Bryan Leary and his team crafted bountiful cheese boards, sensational appetizers, and fun food stations with all the best flavors of summer. 

We gathered that evening not only to enjoy the beautiful farm and the wonderful company of the people in the room, but to invite our guests to invest in the food, farm, and nutrition security of the Kearsarge Region.

We set an ambitious goal to raise $50,000 through a fund-a-need paddle raise that took place after the main course. Though we were hopeful we would reach this goal, we were not quite prepared for what actually took place. 

A successful fund-a-need paddle raise to complete the evening.

Before we got to the paddle raise, we set the context for the evening, reminding people why the Kearsarge Food Hub exists: to confront a harmful, destructive food system that threatens our health, our land, and our connection with unsustainable and inequitable practices. We named the hard truth that, in making food a commodity, we have stripped our communities of the foundational practices of being outside in nature, stewarding our lands, growing, cooking and sharing food, and connecting around the table. 

Then we centered ourselves in the honest belief that we can reclaim what’s been lost, if we work together. 

We honored Soonipi Hollow Farm owners Deb and Craig Langner for their efforts to restore the land to a thriving farm—enriching the soil and our community through the food produced and welcoming gathering space created, all while preserving the agricultural heritage of this region.

We celebrated our guest of honor, Laura Russell, for her unique and inspirational contributions to the work of KFH and our entire community. Laura has been an absolute fixture in community service in our region for years; an enthusiastic supporter of shared projects like the Abenaki Seeds Project and Tray it Forward, serving on advisory committee of the FEED Kearsarge Coalition, an active volunteer and ambassador for the Warner Area Food Pantry, a committed donor to KFH, and now serving on the board of the Kearsarge Neighborhood Partners. She shows us all each day what it means to ensure every neighbor is nourished. 

Honoring the people—the farmers, volunteers, and community members—that work day in and day out, in small and big ways, to feed and nourish the Kearsarge Region was central to the evening.

And then, the fund-a-need the paddle raise, to ensure all our efforts are backed by critical financial resources. To make it extra fun, we had a blueberry goal tracker; a bare blueberry bush that we aimed to fill up with blueberries, and each blueberry representing a different giving level.

Once the bidding took off, it was a total whirlwind trying to keep the goal tracker updated with all those blueberries! We quickly hit our $50,000 goal, but kept pushing forward and the paddles kept flying up into the air. All told we raised $86,150!!

We are absolutely blown away by the generosity in the room that evening. This level of support gives all of us here at the Kearsarge Food Hub hope that the change our community needs, and the big plans we have for the future, is possible.

Thank you to gala guests for such a joyous and abundant evening investing in food, farm, and nutrition security for the Kearsarge Region.