How Hemp Can Help: 2022 Roundup
Another harvest is done and that makes four! Our production team is still working on getting this year’s flower hand-trimmed up, but we’ve battened down the hatches for the year.
We can hardly believe it ourselves, and we have folks like you to thank for making this all possible.
It seems like we just finished last year’s Giving Tuesday roundup a few weeks ago. Now that we have a moment to sit and think, I wanted to reflect on our social philanthropy for 2022 and how it aligned with our mission.
Let’s start locally…
Feeding Chittenden
Amount: $8,500 or 5,667 meals
We’re farmers, first and foremost. Many Vermont farms donate extra produce and allow gleaners onto their property to collect produce for people suffering from food insecurity— something that’s become more common here in the past year.
Unlike many other farms though, we don’t produce any food. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t have the responsibility to donate what we can to help our neighbors. That’s why we decided to turn our end-of-the-year Black Friday sale into a fundraiser for Feeding Chittenden, the largest emergency food shelf in the state. Because Thanksgiving, the precursor to Black Friday, is a holiday about food, Feeding Chittenden just made sense.
Vermont Public Radio
Amount: $16,400
We’re staying local with our next donation. Like food, equitable access to information and news is incredibly important to us here at Sunset Lake CBD. All of the native Vermonters that work here grew up listening to VPR— our parents either had it on in the car or in Sam’s case he listens to it at full volume in the dairy farm tractor.
VPR provides great local coverage that most Vermonters can access for free. We couldn’t be happier being an underwriter once again.
Magic Mann’s Global Indigenous Fund
Amount: $1,000
As farmers making a living off the land, it’s important to remember that these lands were in fact stolen long ago from indigenous peoples. Donating to Magic Mann’s Global Indigenous Fund allowed us to acknowledge that fact and give back to those very same communities.
The Global Indigenous Fund’s mission is to partner with indigenous communities and develop strategies to sustainably address their needs. If you’re interested in learning more about Vermont’s Indigenous communities or donating to the fund yourself, click here.
Green Mountain Club
Amount: $1,000
Vermont is called the Green Mountain State for a good reason. Exploring our mountains and valleys is quintessentially part of being a Vermonter. The Green Mountain Club’s mission is to make the Vermont mountains play a larger part in everyone’s life by protecting and maintaining the Long Trail System and fostering through education, the stewardship of Vermont’s hiking trails and mountains.
The Green Mountain Club’s mission for land stewardship, creating common and equitable spaces, and promoting health by getting out into nature is what we’re about here at Sunset Lake CBD. As an avid hiker myself, it was a no-brainer to contribute to this cause and we will continue to do so. If you too want to support the Green Mountain Club, please consider donating to them here.
Planned Parenthood
Amount: $2,500 with a $2,500 match by The Majority Report
Reproductive rights were a vital issue in this election cycle. Because of our strong business partnership with the folks over at the Majority Report, we decided to collaborate with them on an election sale project. We reached out to Sam, Julie, and the rest of the crew with our plan and they agreed to make a matching donation.
While a donation to Planned Parenthood doesn’t neatly align with our mission here at Sunset Lake CBD, we felt we needed to contribute something to one of the biggest reproductive healthcare providers in this country.
Innocence Project
Amount: $4,000
As someone who works in the cannabis industry, the long unjust road we, as a country, have traversed to get to this point is never far from my mind. That’s why we wanted to turn our Spring 4/20 sale into a fundraising opportunity.
As an organization, The Innocence Project works to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create, fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone. That means exonerating the innocent, improving case law, and reforming policies that lead us to where we are today. We wholeheartedly support The Innocence Project’s comprehensive approach to reforming our legal system. If their mission sounds like something you might support too, consider donating to them here.
Next Year
We’re already looking ahead to 2023 with gratitude and excitement. We can’t wait to get back on the farm and build on our charitable momentum. But for now, we’re going to settle in for the holidays and the cold weather ahead. We also want to thank you— our amazing customers for making this possible.
-Cy Kupersmith
Dir. of Sales and Sustainability