Southside Community Land Trust is grateful to our community for showing up in a major way during this year’s 401Gives campaign, helping us finish as the 13th top fundraiser among 644 participating nonprofit organizations statewide. Through the incredible generosity of 150 donors and a matching fund, we raised an impressive $56,000 to support our mission of fostering equitable access to land and markets, providing education, and creating opportunities for Rhode Islanders to grow food in environmentally sustainable ways while building food systems that offer culturally familiar, locally produced, affordable, and healthy food.
This remarkable achievement comes at a critical time for SCLT as we continue expanding our impact across Rhode Island’s food system. Your donations directly bolster vital connections between our youth programs and farmer support initiatives to build a stronger, more sustainable food system for all Rhode Islanders.
The success of our 401Gives campaign enables us to maintain our youth development pathway, offering meaningful opportunities at every stage. From young children exploring gardening through our summer learning program with Violet’s Village, to high school students gaining workforce experience, to young adult interns building specialized skills, and farm apprentices receiving intensive hands-on training through our paid full-time, part-time, and federally registered programs – your support makes these transformative opportunities possible.
Simultaneously, your generosity helps sustain our network of 28 small-scale farmers who grow culturally familiar, nutritious food for our communities. These farmers depend on SCLT to access land, training, and markets. With recent cuts to USDA funding, your support is crucial to maintain our crop purchasing program that sustains farmers’ livelihoods and provides fresh food to nutrition-insecure Rhode Islanders. The funds raised during 401Gives will help us maintain momentum despite the challenges posed by frozen or canceled federal contracts.
Rhode Island’s response to this year’s 401Gives campaign was truly historic, with more than 19,300 individual donors collectively raising $4.9 million for nonprofits throughout the state. We’re proud to be part of this extraordinary demonstration of Rhode Island’s commitment to supporting organizations that deliver vital services to our communities.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our 401Gives campaign!
