By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


A recent fundraiser in Howell provided a mix of art and nature to help provide food for those in need in the community. WHMI’s Jon King has details…

The art exhibit was held on July 31st at the Earl Farm in Howell Township and was a collaboration between Brent Earl, owner and president of The Earl Farm Foundation, and local artist Susan Pominville, who founded ART Feeding Families.

Organizers say that more than $32,000 was raised to help put healthy protein on the tables of Livingston County families. The sold-out community fundraiser, attended by 150 people, was held amid 45 acres of sunflowers at the Earl Farm. Those sunflowers were also the backdrop for LAYERS, Pominville’s 8’ by 4’ oil painting comprised of 100 individual canvases. Pominville says the title comes from the painting’s “many layers of color, one built upon the other” and conveyed a two-fold message; “the importance of us as unique individuals” and a recognition of the “bond and connection among us all.”

All proceeds from art sales, tickets, and additional donations go to benefit the nonprofit Earl Farm Foundation, which benefits families in need. Earl said he was thankful to the community for their generosity. “The $32,000 we raised in one day is incredible, and equates to 8,000 one-pound packages of hamburger for local families. Anything we can do to relieve families’ stress of not knowing where their next meal is coming from is worth all the effort.”

Since 2009, the Earl Farm Foundation has delivered more than 18,000 one-pound packages of ground beef to food pantries and community organizations. The money that is raised from events and donors is used to purchase beef cows, which cost about $2,000 a head. In 2020, 19 cows were purchased resulting in 9,500 pounds of ground beef being donated to the Family Impact Center and Torch 180 in Fowlerville, SonRise Pantry in Howell, Bountiful Harvest in Brighton, Active Faith in South Lyon, and the Salvation Army, LACASA and Gleaners.

Prints of the complete painting are for sale at spominville.com, with part of the proceeds benefiting the Earl Farm Foundation. The site also features a start-to-finish timelapse video of the work in progress, the final reveal, and daily videos of the artist in action.