Tucked away in rural Wayland, a small farm operates with a singular mission: providing fresh, nutritious vegetables to people with limited access to healthy produce. Aurelia’s Garden supplies five food pantries — Open Table in Maynard, Sudbury Food Pantry, Medway Village, Daniel’s Table in Framingham, and La Colaborativa in Chelsea — with organically grown vegetables.
Founded in 2020 by a handful of intrepid women horticulturalists and gardeners, the project emerged from a shared passion for food equity. Hannah Traggis, the organization’s leader, brings decades of agricultural experience rooted in her Maine childhood, where her horticulturalist mother was an early “back to the land” advocate.
“My passion is to address the inequitable distribution of food in our communities,” said Traggis, whose background spans marine biology, professional cooking, plant physiology and horticulture. “We want to offer nutritious, culturally relevant, ecologically grown produce.”
The concept began at the Gardens at Elm Bank, where Traggis (the senior horticulturalist) and volunteers created a garden dedicated to food pantry donations. When she left that position in 2019, she and three core gardeners began meeting to expand the model.
In April 2020, the group secured a small plot at Medway Community Farm, which continues operating today. Through Sudbury Valley Trustees, Traggis connected with longtime Wayland resident Mike Patterson, who owned a larger field that he had donated for use to farmers over the years, saying he “believes strongly in the importance of keeping agricultural land in the hands of farmers.” Intrigued by their mission and Traggis’s commitment to soil health and ecological gardening, Patterson formed a partnership with Aurelia’s Garden that launched the Wayland operation in May 2020 — just as the pandemic hit.
Planning sessions shifted online and the group per severed. Their initial fundraising appeal, including grants, raised over $15,000, and by July 2020, they achieved 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Today, they receive grant funding from the Sudbury Foundation, Metrowest Community Foundation, Emerson Hospital, Middlesex Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, and generous donors.
Building an organic, ecologically sound operation required dedication, patience and close communication with clients. The harvest grew from 1000 pounds in 2020 to over 11,000 pounds last year as they expanded both plot size and vegetable diversity.
“It isn’t poundage that matters,” Traggis emphasized. “Nutrient-rich vegetables like kale and chard weigh less than squash but are more nutritious.”
The name “Aurelia’s Garden” carries special meaning. At Elm Bank, a praying mantis, named Aurelia after a favorite basil variety, rode on Traggis’s golf cart for an entire summer. The praying mantis symbolizes restoration and balance — fitting for an organization working to offset food inequity. When investigating Patterson’s field, Traggis discovered a praying mantis egg case, cementing the name choice.
Aurelia’s garden is extremely grateful to Mike Patterson’s generosity. He tries to visit the field daily to connect with the volunteers and see the progress.
The organization relies entirely on donations and volunteers to continue its mission of creating more equitable food distribution in the MetroWest area.
For more information or to volunteer, visit https://aureliasgarden.org.
