As the holiday shopping reaches a fever pitch around the city, I was fortunate to take in the final farmers market day for 2011 at Evergreen Brickworks. I wandered through the tables laden with the last of the winter greens, cabbages and carrots, and visited with friends to chat about all the good times we shared in the past year, I was filled with a sense of gratitude for the amazing work that the staff at Evergreen has done. And when I heard that there is a financial shortfall this year to support the demand for all their incredible programs, I felt good that I could give something back with a cash donation.

The Brickworks is a magical place. In the hustle and bustle of Toronto it offers a tranquil place to connect to nature. It is hard to imagine that this place was an abandoned pit mine and its associated brick factory. Many of Toronto's historic buildings have been made from the bricks that were created here. When the City of Toronto and the Toronto Region Conservation Authority restored the quarry and created what is now the Weston Family Quarry Garden, who could have imagined the impact the conservation project would make. Now, one of my favourite charities, Evergreen, a not-for-profit organization that makes cities more livable, is transforming the site to make it even better.

Evergreen, has taken on the enormous task of making the old factory buildings usable again. A direct result of this visionary thinking is the weekly farmers market, which I love and enjoy so much. We all need places like this. I reminds us on how we are connected to our food, to nature and to each other. And it wouldn't be possible without Evergreen.

If you are like me, you look for ways at this time of year be a contribution not only to family and friends, but to our community at large. This year, I encourage you to make a donation to Evergreen. The work they do makes Toronto, Canada, and the world a better place for all of us.