Nicole & Stew and Gilberte and Siegmar are certified organic farmers who believe in living sustainably and supporting their communities by feeding them safe, nutritious and delicious organic food. Last week during the Weather Bomb that dumped snow on much of the Maritimes, their greenhouses, filled with fresh greens and newly germinating crops, were smashed to pieces. Gilberte and Siegmar had only built theirs last year. This is what the beautiful crops inside their greenhouse looked like shortly before the storm.

You can view the video of the storm at Whippletree Farm here The intensity of the storm and the way it's crushing the greenhouse is quite terrifying.

And you can see the aftermath at on their Facebook Page here

Insurance doesn't cover farmers for 'acts of God' of this kind. This means that they have not only lost their greenhouses and their contents, they will have to go further into debt to pay for new ones to replace them and without their greenhouses, they can't grow as many crops to help pay for their loss. It's a triple whammy.

They are all shocked and distraught by this huge loss, but just want to get back to the business of feeding their communities, and you can help them to do this! Any of the following would be a huge help:-

1. Help them clean up the debris from their old greenhouses. It's a depressing task and they already have a lot on their plates preparing for the growing season

2. Donate what you believe it is worth to have access to fresh, safe, nutritious organic vegetables for 9 months of the year.

3. Help them put up their new greenhouses once they have enough money to pay for them.

4. Stop by their local farmers' market and give them a hug. Compassion goes a long way when times are tough.

Their community has showed them a great deal of moral support but I believe they deserve an extra bit of help for the following reasons.

• Gilberte Doelle's Farm, Wild Rose, recently won an Environmental Stewardship Award

• Nicole and Stew's Farm, Whippletree, was recently featured in the Chronicle Herald for their use of working horses as a way of being closer to nature and protecting the environment

• Extreme weather conditions like the storm that hit last week are predicted to become more common with our changing climate. These farmers are farming in ways that help to reduce the impact of climate change, so it's a sad irony that they are the ones affected by it.

• They built their greenhouses to feed, nurture and keep their communities healthy and happy from earlier until later in the year. Having a greenhouse meant that Gilberte could bring fresh, crisp spinach to her customers in March instead of waiting until May. She built her greenhouse to help strengthen her community but the risk she took on in doing so, was personal.

• Nicole and Stew are the proud parents of a 6 month old so already have their hands full!

ACORN, our regional organic network that supports farms such as these, is helping by administering the funds (pro-bono of course!). You can learn more about ACORN here.