I was reluctant to post another fundraiser update lest I appear like a money-grubbing greed monger, but many of my readers who have donated to the cause have requested an update on where we are in the process. I am happy to report that we have raised around $9000 of our goal of $15,000! So we are 60% on our way to the goal. I want to once again thank all those who have donated for their generosity. Many folks have also asked for an update on the various projects and expenses that the money will be used for and I am happy to do so.
1. We have had a need for many years for a new “mini barn” for our dairy goats. We have had dairy goats off and on over the years and our number one reason for selling them off in the past has been the lack of adequate housing for them. The barn is necessary in order to house the goats in some of the really nasty cold weather we get in the winter. It is also necessary during the warm months as a milking station that is clean, free of insects, and out of the wind and rain. It is also needed a place for teaching our visitors how to milk goats.
I am happy to report that the barn has been purchased and will be delivered to the farm on March 6th! The barn/shed cost $6600 so your donations have finally made this possible.
2. We also frequently host people on the farm and this hospitality is central to the mission of the farm. This too costs money which we often just do not have. Below is a pic of one of the groups and also a picture of Martha Hennessy, Dorothy Day’s granddaughter, spinning wool with Carrie in our living room.
3. We also need animal feed, hay and various other supplies for our livestock. We usually use around 300 bails of hay a year and they cost around $4.50 a bail. So we easily spend $1200 or more a year on hay alone.
4. We also plant produce every year and this requires purchasing plants and seeds. And like everything else, the cost is going up. We do get some free plants every year from our friend Reuben Demaster at Willowhaven farms, but we always need more.
5. My blog and all of my podcasts are also part of the ministry of the farm and are also part of the non-profit. And it might seem as if that would not cost very much, but when you add up the fees for all of the various software platforms I need to use it easily amounts to over $1000 a year. So your donations will also be used to help keep this blog going!
6. We would also like to make some repairs and upgrades to our chapel. We really need to bring electricity into it so we can heat it properly in the winter. The chapel is a huge part of what we do here since prayer is a central feature of our lives on the farm and what we do with our visitors when they are here.
I hope this update is sufficient! Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to know!
Dorothy Day, pray for us.
