August started off with the unfortunate passing of a former Youth Ambassador, Brice Lewis, who died as a passenger in a car crash.

Brice worked with us for nearly 2 years and would contribute a lot to the work we started. He was a light wherever he went, his smile infectious, and his spirit full of kindness and respect. He had visions for himself that were great and larger than life, and everybody knew he would aspire to these things and reach them because he was so loved and supported. Despite his short 18 years of life on this Earth, Brice accomplished SO much. He was community oriented, self-driven, intelligent, and dedicated. He was an aspiring entrepreneur and fashion designer, a loved son, brother, and a good friend to many. We were so lucky to have Brice as an Ambassador.

We hosted a Teen Healing Space at the farm where we could come together to remember Brice, and for teens and his family to receive support. We plan to continue to do this and raise awareness about speeding and help teenagers get a license so more young lives can be saved.

Amongst other news, the owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning gave each of his employees $5,000 to give to an organization of their choice. Cheyne Delaney from Digital Marketing loved the work we were doing as a St. Pete native and chose to give his $5k to us. He came down to the farm to personally drop off the check and we're grateful for people who see us and want to support our mission.

Another way we've been donated to is by our volunteers always showing up to give of their time. We got so much done at our last Community Workday last Saturday and got to meet quite a few new people. The Fall prep is well under way and we've managed to clear out all the remaining beds in the first growing quadrant. We've been harvesting okra and have collards and other fall crops ready to put in the ground.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, we hope to see everyone again in September for more Farm Fun!

Monetary donations are of course appreciated but there are so many ways people give! We were fortunate to welcome Chef Gregory and Orlinda to the farm as our culinary instructors. They worked with our youth to make an entirely vegan, whole food meal with fresh ingredients. On the menu was black rice and couscous, veggie stir fry using our fresh picked okra, salad with some sweet potato leaves and cranberry hibiscus served with an apple dressing, as well as a refreshing orange coconut cream juice! It was absolutely delicious. They really went above and beyond and we are so proud of how our community shows up for our Youth Ambassadors.