AN UPDATE FROM OUR TEAM

February 4, 2026

With the frigid temperatures outside, we hope that you are finding ways to stay warm and cared for both physically and emotionally. Winter is the time of year when bees huddle in a tight cluster to conserve energy. Collectively, they keep the hive warm, themselves well fed, and endure the harsh weather. They press on, their work fueled by the anticipation of spring and gradual increasing of daylight. Beekeepers, likewise, spend the winter gathering resources, learning from previous busy seasons of beekeeping, and planning for the spring bloom and nectar flow. At Huneebee Project, we constantly seek inspiration from the bees and the art of beekeeping.

That is why, this year, we are gathering in our own kind of cluster. We will look back on the successes and challenges of the past eight years of Huneebee, while also anticipating and planning for the promise and possibilities for growth.

Over the eight years since Huneebee Project began, your generosity has helped us train 111 youth and mentors through our Beekeepers in Residence program; employ trainees in roles spanning marketing and communications, program development, garden site maintenance, and beekeeping; cultivate emerging environmental stewards by touching over 3,000 local residents with workshops on bee biology and pollinators; welcome individuals of all ages into the green spaces of our three community pollinator gardens; harvest 2,890 pounds of honey; and gather years of data demonstrating how beekeeping and social enterprise can strengthen youth mental health and employment prospects.

It is time now to take a step back and take stock of what this all means and consider how we build upon all we have done and all we have learned.

As a new or enduring supporter you know that this work is about so much more than bees and jobs: it is about therapeutic restoration for individuals and communities, and it is about nature as a pathway to wellbeing for all of us as a collective. Similar to a hive, we see you, ourselves, and the community as a super organism – healing for one is healing for us all. This endeavor would not have been possible without you. 

We will need your enduring support as we take this time to reflect on our journey, analyze our data, and plan for the future. While we will be downsizing the marketplace and pausing training for a period this year, we will work diligently to share with you what we have learned about our impact and what is next on our horizon.

We are excited about this next phase of our work, knowing that this season of clustering will guide and inform a stronger, research-grounded organization. We hope to reemerge renewed, reinvigorated, and ready to launch into the future with more youth training and further deepening of community access to nature’s healing, environmental education, and social enterprise.

With ongoing gratitude,

Huneebee Project