A Season of Gratitude: Thank you from Bruce Botanical Food Gardens

As we bid farewell to fall and winter settles in, the staff and volunteers at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley, reflect on another season filled with generosity, community, and care. Each event, meal, and donation this autumn reminded us how deeply our community values growing, sharing and giving back.

This year’s Harvest take-out was a wonderful success, with 157 tickets sold and 45 fully-cooked meals donated to the Kincardine Food Bank, ensuring that good, wholesome food reached even more families in need.

We extend our deepest gratitude to chef Kirsten Walden of Kir’s Kitchen, whose talent and heart made each meal a celebration of local flavour and community connection. Her dedication, along with the support of our volunteers, turned a simple meal into an act of kindness that rippled far beyond our garden gates.



The beauty of the Jack-o-Lantern Trail at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens in Ripley; photos by Jennie McKenzie

After Halloween, our community worked together, once again, in the spirit of sustainability and compassion. This year, more than 130 pumpkins were donated to the gardens' collection, later delivered to local farmers to feed livestock and wild animals.

Each pumpkin represented a small act of care, helping to nourish the land and its creatures while preventing waste. To everyone who dropped off pumpkins, thank you for being part of this thoughtful, eco-friendly tradition.

Our pumpkin walk welcomed 95 visitors who strolled the glowing paths, taking in the beauty of hand-carved lanterns and the spirit of the season. The laughter, light, and community connection made it a night to remember - an evening where art, nature, and simple generosity came together under the amber night sky.



The gardens' annual auction, which wrapped up Nov. 9, was another wonderful success. Together, our bidders, donors, and supporters helped raise an incredible $3,263 - funds that will go directly toward programs planned for 2026.

From handcrafted items and local goods to generous bids placed by our community, every dollar raised helps us keep the garden thriving as a space for learning, growth and connection.
To every person who bought a Harvest ticket, donated an item or pumpkin, bid in our auction, volunteered your time, or simply visited and shared our story - thank you.

As a volunteer and the author of this article, I am deeply moved by the compassion, teamwork, and community spirit that surround the garden each year. You make this place more than soil and plants - you make it a shared home for learning, giving and growing together.

And now, as the garden curls up under winter’s blanket and prepares for its long rest, we look ahead with warmth and anticipation at what 2026 will bring. We can’t wait to welcome you back when the earth softens, the beds awaken, and new life emerges once more in the spring.

Until then, thank you for helping us grow, give and care - for the land, for the animals, and for one another.

With gratitude from all of us at the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens.