The Giving Garden grows fresh vegetables working with Mother Nature utilizing no till, no spray practices. The produce is donated to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center for distribution via its mobile food pantries. Nearly 30,000 residents of New London County received the produce. Its fourth year, 2017, was the most productive year yet with 15,000 pounds of produce donated to the food insecure! In 2016, the Garden yielded 13,089 pounds of vegetables, while in 2015 it produced 3,500 pounds of vegetables and in 2014 just over 1 ton was harvested.
The Giving Garden is owned and operated by the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. It was launched in 2014 when the Nature Center took ownership of the last 45 acres of the Coogan Farm, one of the oldest farms in eastern Connecticut. The garden was started with funding from the Robert G. Youngs Family Foundation, and the Nature Center signed a four-year agreement with the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut to donate the produce.
Coogan Farm Manager Craig Floyd runs the garden with a corps of volunteers who have logged more than 3,700 hours in 2017. Groups from area churches, businesses, corporations, civic groups, as well as individuals from across the region, come to the garden regularly to pitch in. In its first two years the garden was a seasonal endeavor, but in late 2015, a hoop house was donated and installed, ensuring year-round crop production.
2019 Restaurant & Beverage Line-up
Event Coordinator: Downtown Mystic Merchants
www.mysticmainstreet.org
Cottrell Street, Mystic, Connecticut 06355
send us a message…
© 2016-2019 Downtown Mystic Merchants Association
web design by Bluefish
August 9, 2019
We regret to inform the community that the 6th annual Mystic Eats Riverside Food Festival has been canceled. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are no longer permitted use of the Seaport Marine property which includes our “beer shed” and live music tented area of the event.
We have explored other options and were unsuccessful at finding a replacement venue with such short notice that could accommodate the many moving parts that make up our event.
We appreciate the support from our community of hardworking volunteers, vendors, sponsors and devoted attendees through the years and hope to reimagine the event in time for next summer. Please know that this decision was not made lightly.
We realize the importance of the event to the community and merchants. Members have already begun brainstorming to rebrand the event for 2020. We look forward to seeing everyone at this year’s Pirate Invasion and thank you for your understanding of this difficult decision.
Sincerely,
Mystic Eats 2019 Committee