Rebuild Pucker Up Berry Farm: Support the Manners

The Manner family needs our help! In the wake of Hurricane Helene, they have suffered almost a complete loss of their beautiful Pucker Up Berry Farm. A landslide from Becky Mountain Rd on the outskirts of Brevard, NC, has destroyed and covered 90% of their working orchard, gardens, intern housing, hoop house, community spaces, and animal housing in fallen trees and earth. Much of the farm is completely unrecognizable.

They established their farm in 2017 and have poured their hearts and souls into the land and gardens every day since. In recent years, it has become their full financial support for their family and such a huge resource for Transylvania County and beyond. Wendy and Eric have supplied our county with amazing organic produce, elderberries and herbs for community medicine, fresh eggs from very happy hens, bunnies for campers to pet and love, fresh flowers to brighten many, many tables, plant walks, drum circles, solstice celebrations, and a safe place for all people to find respite. If you know them, you love them. These people love BIG, and community is at the heart of every decision and move they make!

We have the incredible opportunity to pour the love and compassion back in their direction! Donating money is the way to help at this time, to cover the costs of rebuilding from the extensive and devastating damage and to support the Manner family financially and keep them afloat while they rebuild.

***Please no visits to the farm!! When the time comes for hands-on help, we will reach out again! The farm and farmers need time to settle and recover! We are incredibly grateful for no physical injuries to Wendy and Eric, their two children, or their close farm workers. The grief and gratitude go hand in hand, as is often true. Thank you for supporting your local farmers!! We will leave you with their words so you can get a feel for their hearts and mission!

“Our farm focuses on community connection first and foremost. We are well established in a local network of other farmers and homesteaders. We often host or attend workdays with other local folks to share the load and build community. We host plenty of potluck gatherings and drum circles, too. We believe strongly that relationships are the true core of farming life: our relationship to the land as well as our relationships with each other.”

Thank you so much for reading. Let’s help this incredible family in this unfathomable loss!

Because there are so many fraudulent fundraisers in the midst of this disaster, we wanted to share who we are. The folks putting this fundraiser together are Jenn Rhea Linville and Alexandra Abendroth. We are both close community members to the Manners and feel it’s our responsibility to lift them up!