project leader
Sarah A
location
1542 Hoe Ave
The Bronx (Crotona Park )
latest update rss
MORNING WALK/JOG and OATMEAL AND OJ at Mina's House

the project

Ms. Mina is a generous woman of the community who has supported and volunteered at our Urban Farms in the Bronx for over a year. Currently, she is facing the possibility of losing her family home, of which she is the sole owner, where she has lived for over 40 years. Ms. Mina wants to help us, and we want to help her.

Ms. Mina has given us the use of her first floor five bedroom apartment to use as a training center, office space, food storage facility and distribution center as well as emergency housing for our volunteers, as needed. In turn, we want to help make sure she can keep her house up, and maintain ownership of it. It is old, needs some tender love and kindness...and she needs help with maintenance - both financially and technically.

We have operated for over a year, managing two farms with no local indoor headquarters! Now, we have two new spaces- for a total of four farms- and we are expanding our program to include free physical fitness workshops for the community. This space will make our community work much more efficient- and warmer in the winter- and therefore more effective. So, we need to raise some funds and get to renovations!

the steps

We need to raise $9,000 by May 15th so that we can prevent a lien being placed on Mina's house and start renovating. It would be a tragedy to see this caring and generous woman of the community lose her house.

By helping her save her home, we gain a headquarters. To do this, we are going to fundraise for the rest of April and the beginning of May.

We've printed 10,000 palm cards for a "street team" effort, and we want to match that effort with an online campaign. After we accomplish this, we'll begin renovations. We are already using the space to house some full time volunteers and to host our workshops and trainings. So, we are motivated and excited to help Ms. Mina save her home- and she is super excited to see it become a flourishing community space.

why we're doing it

Safe recreational spaces are as hard to find as healthy food is in the Bronx. Too many young men and women wind up in prison in our neighborhood. So, we are building a program that addresses all these concerns. We are building organic farms in the middle of the Bronx. We build it with students, at risk youth and formerly incarcerated adults to give a new, refreshing outlook on life that is ripe with potential and open doorways.

We donate the food we grow to local pantries and shelters and we use our spaces (we now have two farms and our new headquarters) to hold workshops and events for the community. We are also installing outdoor fitness equipment on our farms this spring, since nutrition and fitness go hand in had in fighting Obesity and Diabetes - diseases that run rampant in our neighborhood. We grow food and we grow growers.

Conversation

Awesome article about the project! http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20140420/claremont-village/bronx-greenhouse-program-sows-seeds-of-sustainable-food

budget

House Rescue URGENT:
Debt, Owed Property Taxes (Lein Ammount- must be paid to NYC) $8,384.14
Site Prep Clean and remove all toxic and damaged materials on site and within structure $1,200
Debris Removal Dumpster and 5 Day Permit $725
 
Phase 1 Goal: $9,000
 


SUBTOTAL = $9,000
ioby Platform Fee  $35
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $270
TOTAL TO RAISE = $9,305
 
Looking Forward to Renovations:
Lumber, 4”x4” Framing Studs, 2”x4”s and, 2” x 10” planks  (Home Depot) $ 5,833.80
Ply Wood ¾” OSB Pressboards (Home Depot)  $4,800
Hardware Braces, Brackets, Nails, Screws and connector plates  (Home Depot) $1,500
Dry Wall,  ½” Sheet Rock, Mold resistant Boards (Home Depot) $813.46
Insulation 3½”x15”x32’ Rolls - Wall Insulation (Home Depot) $200
Roofing Materials Water proofing, Cover material, $1,200 sealant, Green cover
Rain Water Collection System, New Gutter System, Rain Water Barrels, PVC piping (Home Depot) $1,500


RAISED = $525.00
ioby Platform Fee  waived
3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $15.29
TOTAL TO DISBURSE = $509.71


RAISED = $525
less ioby Platform Fee waived
less ioby Fiscal Sponsorship Fee (5%) $30
less 3rd Party Credit Card Processing Fee (3%) $18
TOTAL TO DISBURSE = $477

updates

MORNING WALK/JOG and OATMEAL AND OJ at Mina's House

Weekday mornings, at 7am our Director, who is training as a group exercise instructor and personal trainer leads a morning walk/jog with residents. Participants can then join us for a free heart healthy breakfast of Oatmeal and OJ. We promise we can cook.

If you'd like to come please email urinycgroup@gmail.com- that's our Director Harry Mcneary's direct email- let him know you'll be coming and we'll be waiting at Mina's House (1542 Hoe Ave) at 7am sharp!

OPEN FARM DAYS.

Every Saturday and Sunday we meet up at our Hoe Ave site. The community at large is welcome to come and dig, plant, learn and grow with us. If you'd like to come please email volunteers@uripeoplesinitiative.org.

FREE TREES in THE BRONX.

Yes, we are serious. On May 10th, 2014 we will be giving away 100 Free Trees to residents and organizations or businesses in the Bronx as part of MillionTreesNYC and thanks to a grant from the New York Restoration Project. If you would like one please email freetrees@uripeoplesinitiative.org. You must be able to pick your tree up May 10 between 12 and 3 pm and you must plant it in the five boroughs, on private property.

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

donors

  • Mahogany
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Anonymous
  • Jessica
  • Tried Stone Church
  • Cynthia P.
  • Anonymous
  • Ibrahim S.
  • Harry M.
  • Juan R.
  • Glenda U.
  • Jamie O'Gorman
  • Anonymous
  • Beresford Mcneary III