The fourth annual Tour de Veggie drew record ticket sales on Thursday, July 30, sending garden-goers through eight private vegetable gardens across Greenwich in intermittent rain. The payoff goes beyond inspiration: fresh produce from the featured gardens will be donated to Neighbor to Neighbor, the town's food bank, which now serves 2,297 Greenwich residents, an 18 percent increase from the prior year.

Greenwich's per capita income tops $125,000.

"A food bank? In Greenwich?" wrote Guy L. Smith, a 42-year Greenwich resident whose spouse Marjorie R. Smith hosted one of the eight featured gardens, in a letter published Friday. "Yes, Neighbor to Neighbor currently assists 2,297 Greenwich residents, an 18 percent increase from the prior year."

The self-guided tour, organized by Greenwich Land Trust, Greenwich Community Gardens, and Historic Properties of Greenwich, charged $50 for general admission and $275 for patron-level tickets that included a catered evening picnic at Greenwich Land Trust's Mueller Preserve. As we reported July 24, this was the event's fourth year. Organizers have not released a total dollar figure raised.

Will Kies, executive director of Greenwich Land Trust, told the Greenwich Sentinel ahead of the tour on July 24 that the event lets "our mission meets our audience quite literally in their own backyards."

Why demand is rising

Smith cited a fraught political environment, persistent inflation, and higher gas prices as drivers of local food insecurity. He also pointed to federal cuts to SNAP and WIC benefits as seriously impacting the poorest Greenwich residents. State-level data backs that up: nearly 18,900 Connecticut children have lost SNAP access since July 2025, when Congress and President Donald Trump ordered broad human-services cutbacks, the CT Mirror reported on July 30. Connecticut's child enrollment erosion rate of 15.7 percent outpaces the 13 percent national average found by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Losing SNAP benefits can also cost a family access to free school meals, according to the center. Connecticut's state budget adopted in May 2026 includes $12 million to provide universal free breakfast at public schools starting this fall, and the state has committed $8.5 million in $300 grocery-store gift cards for an estimated 25,000 residents who lost SNAP access.

How residents can help

Smith urged neighbors to drop off non-perishable items at Neighbor to Neighbor, led by Executive Director Brent Hill: peanut butter, mayonnaise, canned kidney beans, and spaghetti. Monetary donations are also accepted by check.

Greenwich Land Trust has not yet announced its next community event. Details will be posted at gltrust.org or by calling (203) 629-2151.