The Junior League of Buffalo and The Buffalo News are pleased to present Providence Farm Collective  with $315,000 in proceeds from the 21^st Decorators’ Show House, The Grace Millard Knox House. The show house was open to the public from Aug 21 – Sept 18, 2021 and raised a total of $315,000 in grant money.

Providence Farm Collective is a local organization with a mission of cultivating farmer-led and community-rooted agriculture and food systems to actualize the rights of under-resourced peoples.  The organization, through a joint campaign with the WNY Land Conservancy, is purchasing 37 acres of prime agricultural land in Orchard Park that is the farm’s home, so it can protect the land forever and build needed infrastructure to support the education of PFC farmers, the diversification of their businesses, and increase the farmers’ profitability.  PFC will use the show house proceeds to construct a new barn that will house year-round administrative and educational space, cold storage, and a wash-and-pack area, and also provide expanded space for a year-round market store, flower station, and for partnering agencies.

“We are ecstatic and honored to receive this tremendous grant from the Junior League of Buffalo and the Buffalo News,” said Kristin Heltman-Weiss, PFC’s Executive Director.  “These funds will be crucial to allowing us to better serve the many individuals in our community in need of food security while also providing opportunities for immigrant and Black farmers to preserve cultural farming traditions.”

Since 1981, the Junior League of Buffalo has proudly collaborated with the Buffalo News in presenting its largest fundraiser, the Decorators’ Show House.  The semiannual event has raised more than $4.4 million to date.  A few of the previous Show House proceeds recipients include: A Playground for All at Chestnut Ridge Park, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Darwin D. Martin House, Jericho Road Ministries, Massachusetts Avenue Project, Torn Space Theatre, and many others.

“The Junior League of Buffalo has a proud history of acting as catalysts for change and serving communities at risk in WNY” said Rebecca Gandour, Junior League of Buffalo President.  “We are happy to provide the financial assistance to Providence Farm Collective to help them fulfill their own mission within the underserved communities of our region.”