Proceeds benefit land conservation and historic preservation in Bucks County
To view photos from the event, click HERE.
To view the program book from the event, click HERE.
Heritage Conservancy held its 7th annual Farm to Table on Saturday, July 25th, at the organization’s Jackson Pond Preserve in Buckingham, PA. Hosting to a sell-out crowd, over 220 guests helped to raise $40,000 toward the Conservancy’s mission of preserving and protecting our natural and historic heritage. This is the second year in a row that Farm to Table has raised $40,000 for the organization!
With its diverse habitat and abundant plant and animal life, Heritage Conservancy’s Jackson Pond Preserve serves as a wonderful example of the Conservancy’s mission in action. This 10-acre preserve consists of farmland (which a local farmer uses to grow hay), woodlands, and a pond, and it is an excellent site for educational field trips with local schools as well as engagement events like Farm to Table that help to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our natural resources.
Heritage Conservancy’s Farm to Table dinner event provides guests with an opportunity to connect with nature on a preserved property while enjoying a uniquely Bucks County dining experience. This BYOB event boasted a delicious meal creatively prepared by Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods & Catering made using ingredients provided by local farms. Hors d’oeuvres followed by a buffet-style dinner were served al fresco among the Jackson Pond Preserve’s scenic landscape.
Not only did attendees get to enjoy the fruitful bounty of Bucks County, but they also learned about the origins of the meal that was presented to them. Luke Smithson, Executive Chef for Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods & Catering, explained to the group that many of the food items that we think are indigenous to Bucks County were actually brought to our country. For example, garlic, which has been grown around the world for millennia, has only been grown in Bucks County for about a hundred years. The group was fascinated by Mr. Smithson’s wealth of knowledge.
The entertainment did not stop with dinner. In an exciting display of philanthropy and sportsmanship, guests bid against one another during a live auction all in the name of raising money for Heritage Conservancy’s mission. One particular item, a George Nakashima Woodworker S.A. serving board, received the greatest volley of all. For close to five minutes, guests watched on in delight and amazement as two bidders went back and forth like tennis players returning a serve, each raise of the bid paddle hoping it would be the return to end the match. When the final paddle was raised and a victor announced, the crowd cheered wildly, with some guests standing in applause to show appreciation for the great show of competition and generosity.
Farm to Table celebrates community as it connects people to Heritage Conservancy’s mission and our area’s natural resources. The participation of all sponsors, donors, volunteers, and guests in attendance at Farm to Table shows that our community understands the importance of collaborative stewardship and the need to work together to preserve and protect our natural and historic heritage for future generations to enjoy.
While addressing the group, Jeffrey Marshall, President of Heritage Conservancy, called attention to several empty art frames that were hanging behind him. The meaning behind the empty frames was symbolic and resonated with the crowd. He remarked, “There isn’t anything in the frames behind me because there’s nothing that we could put inside of them that would be more beautiful than this preserved landscape.”
If you’d like to play a part in the protection of our natural and historic heritage, join Heritage Conservancy for its next fundraising dinner event. Hosted on a 125-acre preserved farm in upper Bucks County, Celebration for Conservation at Whispering Woods Farm will be held on Saturday, September 12th. Purchase tickets HERE.
Thank you to the following Farm to Table event sponsors: Univest Banking Insurance Investments, Fox Rothschild LLP, Hill Wallack LLP, Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods & Catering, Max Spann Real Estate & Auction Company, Peruzzi Toyota, Preservation Works Ltd, Whole Foods Market, AmeriStructure LLC, Antheil Maslow & MacMinn LLP, Brooks & Barber Tree Management, Bucks Digital Printing, Curtin & Heefner LLP, Steaz-Healthy Beverage LLC, and Worth & Company, Inc.
