January 2026 | Volume 1, Issue 5

Grounded in Legacy. Growing What’s Next.

This first issue of the year reflects both where we’ve been—and where we’re headed. At Marshview Community Organic Farm, our work stays rooted in the land, in the food, in our culture, and in the strength of community.

As we step into a new year, we know it will take careful stewardship, steady hands, and clear action. And we also know this: we don’t do this work alone.

To every donor who showed up for Marshview last year—thank you. Your support wasn’t just a gift, it was a sign that you see us, that you believe in this mission, and that you care about what we’re building here on St. Helena Island. We are grateful.

To our funders, partners, and friends who helped carry us through—thank you for your kindness, your encouragement, and your continued belief in this work. Because of you, we were able to pour back into our people: serving warm home-cooked meals, helping children learn the roots of okra and the deeper roots of who they are, and welcoming students and visitors as they explored this sacred end of the Gullah Geechee Corridor.

May this year bring us peace, protection, and blessings—and may we continue to grow together, season by season.

Peace + Blessings,
Sarah Reynolds Green

We honored 3 Gullah Scholars $2000 Scholarships

Gullah Cooking School

We’re grateful to the Coastal Community Foundation for investing in this year’s Gullah Cooking School—a hands-on cultural and culinary learning experience rooted in Gullah foodways, storytelling, and tradition. This funding strengthens our ability to offer community-based classes that preserve intergenerational knowledge while building practical skills in cooking, food preparation, and wellness. Through this work, we’re continuing to protect the Gullah way of life—one recipe, one lesson, and one shared meal at a time. We thank the Coastal Community Foundation for its gift.

De Gullah Way After-School

We’re also grateful to Beaufort County Community Services for funding that allows us to continue De Gullah Way, our after-school learning program rooted in culture, history, and youth development.

Home Cooked Meals

Home Cooked Meals is one of the most consistent ways we show up for Beaufort County—rooted in care, dignity, and the belief that our people deserve healthy food delivered with love.

Last year, we provided 21,900 home cooked meals to local citizens, helping elders, families, and neighbors stay nourished when resources are stretched thin. This effort is powered by community: six core drivers handle weekly pick-ups, and 35 volunteer drivers deliver meals directly to our people’s doors.

Home Cooked Meals is more than a food program. It’s a reminder that when we take care of one another, we strengthen the whole community.

The Corner Packing

Progress continues on the restoration of The Corner Packing Shed. We’ve secured an architect and are actively moving through the permitting process, with plans to begin restoration this spring. Soon, this historic space will come back to life as a hub for health, wealth, and cultural continuity.

We believe when you set the vision—and work it faithfully—what’s meant to be can be built.

Below is our current concept design for the shed. We’d love to hear from you. What do you think about the design and how we should use the space?

Our Philanthropic Work

We awarded $10,000 to the Saint Helena Gullah Community Housing Project to support their Critical Home Repairs Program, helping families stay safely housed and strengthening long-term community stability.

Back Yard Garden Project

With support from the National Black Food & Justice Alliance’s Mutual Aid Resource Council (MARC), we are expanding our Backyard Gardens for Families Initiative—a mutual aid effort helping families on St. Helena Island grow their own food at home. This season, we’ll welcome 5 new families into the program while continuing support for 15 families we’ve been walking with since 2021. Families will receive gardening classes and hands-on planting and harvesting support, plus creative indigo tie-dye art projects that connect culture and cultivation. Each new family will receive an 8’ x 12’ cedar raised bed, soil, seeds, tools, and seasonal training led by local farmers and youth apprentices—deepening wellness, community connection, and the Gullah tradition of homegrown sustainability.

Powered By Indigo

Last year marked our fourth year of serving as a site for indigo education, demonstration, and training—and we were proud to grow this indigo bush on the farm, continuing a tradition deeply rooted in St. Helena Island.

Once known as “blue gold,” indigo was a major Sea Islands cash crop from the mid-1700s through the Revolutionary era, cultivated and processed through the skill and labor of enslaved West Africans. By the 1790s, it was largely replaced by Sea Island cotton.

Today, organic indigo is being revived by local artists and farmers to preserve Gullah heritage and strengthen economic opportunity. This work is part of Marshview’s braided strategy—rice, indigo, and cotton—in partnership with the International Center for Indigo Culture (ICIC).

VOLUNTEER WITH US at HOME COOKED MEALS

Home Cooked Meals happens every 2nd Thursday of each month (except November)—and we’re building the next one now. We are calling for volunteers in the following areas:

• Kitchen helpers (prepare the food, cook, and package the food)

• Delivery drivers (pickup the meals and drop them off to homes)

• Loaders

• Friendly hands to help wherever needed

Email us at marshview35@gmail.com to volunteer.

If you have had a HOME COOKED MEAL, please do us a favor: