Chef Emily Wells spent two days of her Thanksgiving weekend cooking up Fall Harvest Suppers at The Mill in New Glasgow as a fundraiser for Farmers Helping Farmers and raised an impressive $12,750 for families, farmers and schools in Kenya.
Wells has been supporting the non-profit’s work in Kenya for more than two decades. But the project has become more personal for the chef since travelling to Kenya in 2024 and 2025.
She had a chance to tour schools in Meru County where the PEI-based volunteers work to promote food security and nutrition. That included time in school kitchens and gardens, and meeting lots of Kenyan children, who often have two meals a day at school.
Chef Emily’s meals at The Mill in New Glasgow support the work of the Education Committee of Farmers Helping Farmers, and have raised more than $100,000 since the fundraiser began.
The money has supported pre-service teachers from UPEI who have taught at Kenyan schools as part of an international placement program. Many of them volunteer at the fall harvest suppers as a thank you to Emily for her support.
The funds have also helped school feeding programs and school gardens, as well as the provision of mosquito nets, books and solar lights to help Kenyan children study at night.
Wells said she has wanted to travel to Kenya for years, and was excited to finally make that dream come true.
The Fall Harvest Suppers are truly a team effort, as many of Chef Emily’s staff donate their time and tips, and volunteers from Farmers Helping Farmers pitch in, peeling potatoes, chopping up vegetables and washing dishes.
Many of the food items are donated by local producers, some of whom have been part of the Fall Harvest Suppers for years.
Chef Emily Wells and Farmers Helping Farmers thank the following donors and volunteers for their support in 2025:
Donations
Arlington Orchards, Brookfield Gardens, Soleil’s Farm, Schurman’s Family Farm, Harvest Wholesale, ADL,
Dairy Farmers of PEI, Vernon and Bertha Campbell, Carolyn Francis, Carolyn McAleer
Volunteers
Nancy Russell, Jim Blanchard, Danielle Hayes, Behzad Seyyedi Viand, Melissa Brownlow, Judy Loo, Ellen Cudmore, Charlene VanLeeuwen, Peter Cudmore, Jill Wood, Colleen Walton, Sally Gwen, Emily Czerwiniski, Zachary Wood, Nicole Leger, Karen Murchison, Gerry and Marilyn McQuaid, Garth and Liane MacKay, Olivia Loo, Carolyn Francis, Ellie Moore , Hannah Quilty, Julie VanLeeuwen, Krista Gormley, Josephat, Anna McAleer, Lisa Roman-Langdale, Elmira Mukanda, Yvan Cheung.
Asante to all of you and asante sana to Chef Emily Wells!
