We received some immensely sad news last week after the tragic avalanche last week that took the lives of nine Backcountry skiers on a weekend outing to Castle Peak, near Donner Summit. Among the victims was Caroline Sekar, our long-time Bennington Street drop site host. Adding to the tragedy for the family, Caroline’s sister Liz Clabaugh was also lost in the accident. By all accounts, Caroline was an amazing human being.
Caroline and her husband Kiren have generously made their home available to Terra Firma, and to their neighbors in Bernal Heights, for over 15 years. Drop site hosts like the Sekars are the heart and soul of the “Community” in Community Supported Agriculture, we are enormously grateful: Terra Firma’s CSA could not survive without them. While home delivery of goods of all kinds has become ubiquitous, it’s not an option for farms like ours with limited capital and long distances to travel. Neighborhood delivery to drop sites allows us to efficiently and quickly distribute our CSA boxes throughout San Francisco, the East Bay and Sacramento with a much lower carbon footprint. It also gives our subscribers an opportunity to get to know their neighbors and bond over their shared love of food and organic farming.
Kiren has let us know that the family is going to continue to host the drop site. I’m sure everyone who picks up there is acutely aware of their loss and will offer whatever support they can during this tremendously painful time for them. If you’d like to make a contribution in Caroline’s memory, he asks that you please consider the following organizations:
— The Truckee Donner Land Trust, which protects and preserves the lands Caroline cared about most. www.truckeedonnerlandtrust.org
— The Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue: They pulled out every stop, and put in a herculean effort under incredibly challenging circumstances. Members of their team are part of the community, and are close to several of the victims. www.tahoenordicsar.org
In closing, I hope everyone who picks up at one of our other locations will join me in taking this opportunity to thank their host for offering their homes to us: the CSA could not succeed without you!
Thanks,
Pablito