In these tight financial times, it is hard enough to provide your immediate family with a memorable family Christmas, but it was even harder for us to provide our extended farm family with a Christmas they have expected and depended on. Earlier years, we have been fortunate to have better financial years where we purchased every child at the farm a good quality toy to enjoy for a long time.

Other Christmases we have received support from our buyers in purchasing toys and items for the children, this year we had neither. Until an unexpected package from Green Mountain Coffee arrived, they put up a toy drive in their offices and we received many high quality brand new toys donated by their employees. Along with their donations, they enlisted the help of the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, who donated many wonderful bears for our children at the farm. They sent the packages all expenses and taxes pre-paid via UPS. They packages arrived nice and early

Even with this help, it wasnĠt quite enough for the over 200 children at the estate and their families. We have gathered every penny, collected leftover presents from previous years and even requested all family members to donate their used toys for the farm Christmas. Since selections are slim, weĠre putting together boxes per family, with clothing items, coloring books, and a toy per child.

It is all we can do, yet a lot more than the majority of coffee farms around the world. We have laid a seed of hope and happiness that our immediate family treasures, and we want to make sure our extended family continues to enjoy. There is nothing quite like watching a child who has very little open the box and finding a toy that is truly theirs. The joy in their eyes is what keeps us determined to make this happen every year.