Farmer Needs Your Help

The Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm, our community, and our friends, new and old are rallying to help Brett Alcaro and his family. Brett was our Head Farmer at Hilltop for 4 years, and in his 4 years at Hilltop he helped lay the foundation for the farming and land preservation that is successful today and will be for generations to come.

As many of you know, Farmer Brett left in December to return to New Jersey to be closer to family and friends. Brett was working on a small organic crop farm in New Jersey up until the weekend of July 4th, when he went to the hospital with stomach pain. Within that week he was diagnosed with Liver Cancer that had spread from the Bile Duct. Our friend Brett is 37 years old and has always worked hard to support his family. This diagnosis has put Brett out of work and he and his wife and 1 year old son Oliver, have moved in with his family. He and his wife Germaine are expecting their second child in December.

So many of you have asked “how can I help?”, here’s how you can assist:

• Buy your produce from Hilltop Hanover Farm on Fridays and Saturdays, and encourage your friends too as well. We are donating 5% of farm stand sales to Brett and his family.
• Send a Care Package - Each week we send Brett and his family, his wife Germaine, son Oliver and his mom and dad a care package. We mail it out each Tuesday afternoon. Stop by and put notes of encouragement, cookies, funny books and prayers in the “Wish Him Well” at the office or Farm Stand, and we will make sure he gets it.
• Attend a Farm-to-Table Fundraiser in Brett’s Honor - Book your ticket now for our Farm-to-Table on October 3rd to celebrate Brett and thank him for all his hard work. Click here to get tickets.
• Make a silent Auction Donation - we are looking for items for a silent action to be held at the Farm-to-Table dinner on October 3. If you would like to participate please email me - lucille@hilltophanoverfarm.org.
• Volunteer - Would you like to help prep, set-up, decorate, serve, clean-up, etc at the dinner on October 3? We would be delighted to have you! Please email your availability to Susan Hubbard, volunteers@hilltophanoverfarm.org.
• Donate to a Crowdrise campaign established for Brett - click here to donate.

I am lucky to be part of this wonderful community called Hilltop. I have been blessed to work with many wonderful young farmers, such as Brett, and have been blessed to have met so many kind, caring and generous people. The amount of support and caring for Brett and his family has been overwhelming.

Now let’s hit a grand slam with the bases loaded! Sign up for the dinner, drop off notes, send blessings, say prayers, buy produce, donate, and let’s all pay it forward.

Fondly and with gratitude,

Lu Munz
Farm Director