By Sabrina Artusa
Ann Pellegrino is a busy woman. Between the Bethel Hobbs Community Farm, a nonprofit farm she built herself and describes as “more than a full-time job,” and her appointments speaking at local hospitals about the life-changing effects of organ donation, it was difficult to schedule a time to talk. However, she made sure to make time to talk to me about what she describes as her calling.
In 2007, Pellegrino was in her car and noticed people in the woods hungry and homeless. The unfortunate sight ignited a passion she didn’t know she had — a passion that would be tested by the skepticism of others and the practical challenges of developing a farm without experience.
She became certain what she was meant to be doing, that the vacant lot of loose, barren dirt — a collection ground for the unwanted and disposed — could become something nourishing and productive with the proper care.
It started with a fence
After first ripping up her own lawn, intending to farm fresh vegetables to use in her own home (much to her husband’s dismay), Pellegrino had the idea to renovate the Bethel Hobbs land. For decades the land was farmed by the Hobbs family before ultimately falling into unuse after the death of Alfred Hobbs.
Pellegrino received permission from the Bethel African American Episcopal Church to work on 50 x 50 acres, which then became 50 x 100. Her unwavering confidence in the project was intriguing, and as she began the work, increasing numbers of community members began offering support.
“There was something inside of me that was giving me the drive to do it. If you didn’t do it you couldn’t sleep. They still think I’m crazy but they come and help now,” Pellegrino said.
Once a single mother herself, Pellegrino knew that food pantries have a hard time finding good produce. Most of the produce that was donated was damaged, over-ripe or rotten. The plot of neglected land was the perfect opportunity to change that.
Her father offered fencing, which piqued the interest of nearby residents who then asked Pellegrino about her plan. One neighbor offered his hose, another offered sprinklers. Previously, Pellegrino had been transporting water in her car. “This little vacant land with a fence going around it and a hose leading from across the street” was becoming something real.
Pellegrino’s contagious enthusiasm for helping others inspired their own generosity, just as their generosity inspired Pellegrino. “I feel blessed to be even a small part of our community,” she said.
And the community has shown that they feel the same way about the farm. Bethel Hobbs Community Farm hosts a plethora of events such as the annual “Run the Farm,” dances and breakfasts, not to mention, volunteers enjoy serving others as well as gardening on a beautiful day.
“It is a great area for people to get together as far as a community hub is concerned,” said Lenore Paprocky, president of the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce.
“Her nature is such that she is a servant to her community and that comes naturally to her. For all these reasons you can’t help but become endeared to her,” said Paprocky, who has collaborated with Pellegrino in the past. “She is kind, giving, sincere, and genuine. We need more people like her.”
The late Peter Castorano, was invaluable in the development of the farm. Pellegrino describes him as her best friend. “My granddaughter was his granddaughter,” she said, emphasizing his importance to her and her family.
Castorano died last year and always described himself as “Ann’s right hand man.”
Organ donation
In addition to the farm, Pellegrino speaks regularly at hospitals, offering encouragement to exhausted nurses and speaking on the life-changing effects of organ donation. She starts speaking during winter months while the farm is closed.
At 19, Pellegrino’s son Christopher was paralyzed in a car accident. For seven years afterward, Christopher would speak at schools about the importance of wearing seatbelts; he would pursue his college degree in the hopes of getting involved with alcohol and drug rehabilitation; and he would try to change lives, like his mother.
“His attitude was that if he could help save one life it is worth it,” Pellegrino said of her son, who passed on Christmas Eve in 2018.
Pellegrino decided to honor his memory by pursuing his goal of helping save lives. She goes to hospitals and shares her son’s statement, something that she enjoys. “I get to celebrate him,” she said. Three men live on because of the gifts Pellegrino’s son made through organ donations.
Moreover, she extends support to the staff. “This time of year I don’t want them to feel like they were forgotten and it’s not a thankless job. Letting them know what they do matters and it really counts,” she said.
Paprocky describes Ann as quiet, thoughtful and eager to befriend anyone who shows an interest in service; a woman who exemplifies what it means to be a community leader; a true person of the year. It is for all of these accomplishments that Ann Pellegrino is a 2024 TBR New Media Person of the Year.
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