YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Dear Friend,
Your support makes a profound impact by helping to preserve and share Sylvester Manor’s rich cultural heritage. Your gift also sponsors stimulating public programs and fosters sustainable food production that feeds the whole community.
By contributing, you help us provide engaging experiences for visitors of all ages, from school children learning about agriculture, history and nature to families and dog walkers enjoying our beautiful grounds. Your generosity helps us bring people together, build connections, and contribute to our local economy.
Once again, we ask for your support to ensure that Sylvester Manor remains a vibrant and accessible resource for generations to come. Together, we cultivate a thriving community that honors the past while nurturing the future.
Thank you for being a vital part of this journey.
A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY
Sculpture @ Sylvester Manor
2024 marked the first Sculpture @ Sylvester Manor exhibition featuring 24 local artists. Through curator-led tours, an opening reception and an app-supported walking tour of this exhibition, over 2,500 community members experienced this free outdoor art experience.
Creekside Concert
At the shore of Gardiners Creek, the legendary Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas welcomed an audience of nearly 500 for dance, soul, and New Orleans flair on a beautiful August evening.
Veggie 500 and Garlic at the Goat
In August we hosted the Second Annual Veggie 500 – a farmer’s version of the pinewood derby! All were invited to enter a souped-up vegetable to compete for speed – and FUN! –on the track at Windmill Field. In October, The 1901 Grill on Goat Hill hosted garlic shucking to help the farm crew prepare to plant over 3,000 feet of garlic for harvest next year.
CSA, Food Access and Retail
In 2024, over 125 community subscribers joined our community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Twenty-two additional CSA shares, funded by generous donors, were donated to local families in need through our partnerships with CAST and the Shelter Island Food Pantry. Our Food Access Program grows each year and this year contributed nearly $40,000 of donated produce! Many thousands of Farmstand and Farmers Market sales added to the ever-increasing reach of Sylvester Manor’s locally-produced eggs, meat, vegetables, fruit and flowers. We grow it for you!
Farm Programs
We can’t say enough about the Farm Apprentices who do the work to put all that food on our tables – a remarkable group of young women this year, local and from afar. They managed not just food production, but food cycling into compost for soil health. The Farm’s Food Waste Diversion Program continues to expand, welcoming all residents’ food scraps, and diverting over 17,000 pounds from the Island waste stream. Keep those scraps coming!
Youth Programs
Across our 236 acres, nearly 400 school-aged children explored our farm, grounds, and histories through Summer Youth Programs, and local school field trips, including no-cost field trips for Shelter Island School groups. Nearly $10,000 in scholarships were awarded to Shelter Island resident children to attend Summer Youth Programming – from culinary lessons to outdoor wilderness skills!
Shakespeare at the Manor
This year, Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” took place near the 1737 Sylvester Manor House re-imagining the Manor grounds as the Forest of Arden. Two July performances drew a crowd of 400 as local and NYC-based actors performed in the return of Shakespeare at the Manor.
History and Nature Programs
History & Heritage tours, Juneteenth, the film screening of “Forgotten Founders: David Hempstead, Senior,” the porch talk “New Archaeological Findings Under the Manor House,” and Behind-the-Scenes Tours engaged community members in newly revealed history, preservation, and archaeology. Our Owl Prowl tour, meditation workshops and 5-mile trail system, open March through October, invited visitors to explore our expansive landscape.
HELP US GROW STRONGER TOGETHER YEAR AHEAD…
Here are just a few of the many things an unrestricted donation can help us fund this coming year:
• A month-long stay for archaeologists to study our Afro-Indigenous Burial Ground
• Invest $50,000 in our farm equipment for improved efficiency, leading to more food for the community
• Hire additional personnel to help manage and maintain Sylvester Manor’s 236 acres
• Secure a world class American Roots music band for our best creekside concert yet
Donations to Sylvester Manor’s Annual Fund directly support vital hands-on learning experiences for local schools and events that foster community engagement. They fund impactful projects like our composting initiative, maintaining our beautiful grounds for future generations, and feeding food-insecure families. Your unrestricted gift today gives us the resources and flexibility to respond to emerging needs, enhance our programs, and create meaningful experiences that nourish and strengthen our community, today and for years to come.
JOIN US IN PROTECTING
WHAT MATTERS TO YOU
Sylvester Manor wouldn’t be what it is today without the generosity and dedication of our community. Your support is essential and welcome in any amount. Please contribute what you can.
To make a gift today, please go to: www.sylvestermanor.org/donate-now OR return the enclosed giving envelope.
