A monthlong fundraiser aims to help Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County offer free beginner gardening courses in two local communities in spring 2027.
Master Gardener Volunteers are raising money for Seed to Supper, according to a news release from the Extension. Donations will help provide vegetable seeds, seedlings, hand tools and other supplies, along with composting demonstrations, educational materials and hands-on instruction.
Building on an Auburn class
The effort follows a four-week course held in May 2026 for 16 members of the Senior Citizen Program at Booker T. Washington Community Center in Auburn.
Former Extension educator Frank Clarke led that class, teaching participants how to plan their gardens, start seeds, tend vegetables and harvest what they grew. The lessons were intended to prepare participants to keep gardening the following growing season.
All participants reported learning something new and feeling more confident about growing some of their own food, the Extension said. The organization said those responses were consistent with Cornell evaluations of the course in other New York counties.
Seed to Supper originated with the Oregon Food Bank. In New York, Extension educators work with community host organizations to offer the beginning gardening curriculum.
How to support the courses
The online fundraising window runs from Nov. 15 through Dec. 15 as part of the national SeedMoney Challenge. The release directs donors to givebutter.com/cce-cayuga-seed-to-supper-program-2026.
SeedMoney, a Maine-based nonprofit, coordinates the annual 30-day crowdfunding and grant program. It gives public food-garden projects across the country a way to raise donations and compete for additional grants.
The fundraising platform charges applicants no fee, and all donations received for the local campaign will go to Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County for the project, according to the release.
People donating by mail can make checks payable to Cornell Cooperative Extension Cayuga County, write S2S in the memo line and send them to CCE Cayuga County, 248 Grant Ave., Auburn, NY 13021.
The organization also welcomes donated materials. For information about those contributions or questions about the effort, contact Tristin Rose-Morley, agriculture educator and Master Gardener Volunteer Program coordinator, at tnr23@cornell.edu or 315-255-1183, ext. 103.
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