A New Chapter for Guåhan Sustainable Culture

As we gather with our families this holiday season, our hearts are full of gratitude for you, our precious Guåhan community. For nearly six years, you have walked alongside GSC in our mission to revive and strengthen our island's connection to the land. From backyard garden workshops to farmer support programs – your participation and trust have been the foundation of everything we've achieved together.

Through typhoons and pandemic, you've shared your knowledge, opened your farms and facilities, donated supplies, volunteered countless hours, and most importantly, believed in our shared vision of a food-secure Guåhan.

We're humbled to share that this journey has led us to a new chapter. When we learned that Hamamoto Gardens in Windward Hills was at risk of being developed for military housing, we knew we had to act swiftly. Thanks to our partners and community, we were able to step in with an initial deposit to begin the process of protecting this 50-acre property for our people's future. Our vision is to place this land into a community land trust, ensuring it will never be privately bought or sold again, but instead be governed by our community for generations to come. This beautiful space will become our Food Resiliency Hub, a dream we're now working to make permanent.

For those who remember visiting Hamamoto Gardens, you know the magic of this place – its fertile soil, established fruit trees, and the peace that comes with being surrounded by nature. In a time when our island's agricultural lands are being lost to development, securing this space permanently for community use is an urgent necessity.

Looking ahead to 2025, this space will become:

• A living classroom for traditional farming practices and cultural learning

• A hub for sustainable agriculture and food processing

• A sanctuary for preserving CHamoru agricultural knowledge

• A center for community resilience and food sovereignty

While we've taken the first step with our initial deposit, we still have significant fundraising ahead to ensure this land will always serve our island's people. Though this holiday message isn't a fundraising appeal, we welcome conversations with those who wish to be part of this historic journey. If you'd like to learn more, please reach out to us!

From all of us at Guåhan Sustainable Culture, Felis Påsgua Nochebuena nu hamyo todos, i familian-miyu yan i mangga’chong-miyu!