Aurelia's Garden is a small volunteer-run regenerative organic farm that operates on loaned Chapter 61 agricultural land in Wayland, adjacent to Sudbury Valley Trustees Upper Mill Brook preserve, and at a satellite site at Medway Community Farm. We were founded in the early days of the COVID pandemic to address spiraling food insecurity in Massachusetts–a crisis that has increased in the five years of our existence to the point that 34% of Massachusetts households and one in three children are now food insecure. We donate 100% of our produce to four food pantry partners. Our partners tell us what their clients want and need, and we tailor our crop plan and harvests accordingly. Since our inception, we have also worked to improve the health of our other, most precious partner, the land that we farm. We have increased our farming footprint, and in our steadfast commitment to ecological agriculture, have improved the resilience of our soil and, in turn, the quality and quantity of the produce we donate to our partners. In our 5th year we grew and delivered about 6 tons of fresh, organic food to MetroWest food pantries. In our constant goal to increase production and farm in balance with the ecosystem, our foundational focus has always been on rebuilding the health of our soil, with yearly gains seen in the following categories: The carbon holding capacity and soil structure has improved through cover crop rotations, the addition of biochar, compost, and mineral amendments, well timed inoculation with microbes, and use of human powered tools such as broad forks. We are well on our way to our goal of becoming a no-till operation. What was tired, sandy soil, overused for years, is now a thick layer of vibrant topsoil with drastically improved water and nutrient holding capacity. The soil has been so improved that we watered only 7 times last year, and not at all this year. Enhanced wildlife habitat is a benefit when there are healthy natural habitats nearby. Foxes help us control rodent pests, skunks help control grubs and beetles. Native insects and birds - nourished by native plant hedgerows that we cultivate - help us increase crop pollination and control insect pests. We have significantly reduced our use of OMRI pesticides, and now rely on a more balanced farm ecosystem to discourage pests.