Steward Spotlight: Ami Freeberg
Longfellow Farm- Kansas City
Stewards are volunteers who take the lead on caring for their local orchards. They are the backbone of The Giving Grove program. Thanks to their dedication, Giving Grove little orchards continue to help feed the hungry, improve the environment, and foster friendship and community. As a thank you, we like to spotlight stewards who are doing some extraordinary things in their communities.
Today, The Giving Grove would like to introduce to a longtime steward and friend, Ami Freeberg. Ami’s personal and professional life is centered around sustainable and community-driven horticulture. Her Giving Grove orchard is located at the community farm that she established seven years ago, Longfellow Farm. The Longfellow Farm orchard is in its sixth season and responsible for providing fruits, nuts and berries to its neighbors and volunteers. “Longfellow Farm was created as a place for neighbors to come together to grow food and grow community. We started out with vegetables and herbs, so partnering with Giving Grove to plant an orchard to feed our neighbors was a natural extension of the work we were already doing.”
“It is hard to separate the orchard from the farm, but together the project has created a place for neighbors to come together, work alongside each other, get to know each other, learn from each other, and be in community. I see this as building community resilience and cultivating a sense of place and belonging.”
Ami sees the orchard and farm as a neighborhood resource. As she explains, “The orchard feels like a true investment in the community. We have planted these trees not just for ourselves to enjoy this season, but hopefully for neighbors to enjoy and receive nourishment from for years to come.”
“I love the community aspect of growing food together and learning new skills to build community resilience. The support provided by Giving Grove has created opportunities for many neighbors to learn about fruit production and become stewards of our orchard.”
When Ami isn’t volunteering at Longfellow Farm, you can find her working as the Volunteer Program Manager at Bridging the Gap, a non-profit that aims to make the Kansas City region more sustainable by connecting the environment with economy and community. Or you’ll find her in the kitchen cooking up a farm-to-table meal, testing out a new hot sauce recipe, or preserving food for the winter. She has also begun to dabble in woodworking and has been on a spoon-carving kick.
The Giving Grove is immensely grateful to Ami and the Longfellow Farm for allowing us to be a part of their journey to feed neighbors and build community in a sustainable way! To learn more about the Longfellow Farm, visit their website.
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