- project leader
- Leah M
- location
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East Outer Drive(East English Village)
- latest update rss
- THANK YOU for Your Generosity!
the project
Lawn Gone Food Farm, an urban, micro-farm on Detroit’s Eastside, grows healthy, local, chemical-free fruits and vegetables “IN the city, FOR the city.” We sell our produce through Grown in Detroit and share it through partnerships with community organizations. In addition to feeding folks delicious food, we work with other growers towards a food secure and food sovereign city; cultivate healthy communities; teach about food, faith and justice; and serve as a model for how others might transform their yards into food gardens.
This spring we’ve prepared beds, propagated transplants, installed drip irrigation, and are cultivating early season crops, which are maturing nicely! Soon we will begin to harvest and the process of post-harvest handling – when we CLEAN, CRISP and COOL the produce. Currently, our infrastructure (sinks, tables, refrigeration) is functional, yet limited. We need your help to scale-up and right-size this part of our operation with appropriate equipment.
Funds raised through this campaign will enable us to:
1.) build a wash/pack (sinks and tables for cleaning, crisping and packing produce), and
2.) convert a 5’ x 8’ enclosed trailer into a refrigerated space (called a “Coolbot”) on wheels for storing and transporting our produce.
Having adequate washing and storage spaces will allow us to work more efficiently AND to keep food for the consumers safe and fresh. Produce cleaned, stored and transported at proper temperatures is safer, tastes better and lasts longer. We hope this will make those eating our produce happier!
the steps
- Purchase equipment and construction materials.
- Construct wash/pack station.
- Convert trailer (preferably a used one) into a refrigerated unit by installing insulation, air conditioning unit and “Coolbot”.
- CLEAN, CRISP and COOL that produce!
- Share and sell our safe, fresh, high-quality produce.
why we're doing it
We believe that everyone deserves the right to eat healthy, local, naturally-grown fruits and vegetables that are safe, delicious and of the highest quality – and we are called to work to that end. Installing and utilizing the right infrastructure for post-harvest handling will help us guarantee that our product meets these standards.
Additionally, we hope to create a model of rightly scaled, multiple-use, and affordably priced equipment that will reduce food-safety risks, increase production efficiency, and maximize financial investments. We hope to share what we learn in ways that will be mutually beneficial to other small-scale, urban growers.
budget
Disbursed Budget 7.18.18
Original Budget
updates
THANK YOU for Your Generosity!
Posted 07/22/2018 - 8:51am
Hello Donor Friends,
Thank you so much for donating to our ioby and Eastern Market Growing Communities fundingraising campaign. With your help Lawn Gone Food Farm has and will continue to add infrastructure to help us Clean, Crisp and Cool our veggies!
After spending the first part of the growing season with inadequate infrastructure I am happy to report that the wash/pack - with work tables, a spray table, and a shade tent are making our work easier and keeping vegetables fresher. Your contribution helped me purchase this infrastructure! I am learning as I go, and ultimately, due to limited space, have had to make the wash/pack portable rather than building a permanent structure. But, with the equipment I've purchased the set up is easy and I love the flexibility of being able to relocate it when necessary. I also love the 5 gallon salad spinner which makes washing greens so much easier for me - and more gentle on the greens.
As for the refrigerated space and conversion of a trailer to a Coolbot . . . I continue the search for a used enclosed trailer. They sell so quickly, most within the same day listed, so I have to be ready to go see it immediately. I do hope I will find one soon! I look forward to purchasing the remaining building supplies and beginning the conversion process in the next several months (though I may have to wait until fall when things on the farm slow a bit - it's currently all hands on deck with harvesting and getting fall crops in teh ground.)
It's been a GREAT first season - and we have exceeded harvest and revenue predictions already. We've been able to sell through Grown in Detroit at Eastern Market every Saturday, sell some wholesale, get our product into the Eastern Market Corporation Farmstands around the city, and donate to Produce for Pantries. We are grateful that our local, healthy, naturally-grown veggies have been available for folks who use SNAP, WIC and Double Up Food Bucks.
I am so grateful to each of you who donated. Thank you for believing in me and for supporting our dream of growing food in a way that honors the Earth and in feeding people healthy, local, sustainably grown food.
With love,
Leah
Almost There!
Posted 05/15/2018 - 11:51pm
Hello Friends,
Wow! You all responded - and quickly! We are almost at the stated goal. Not only is the goal achievable, I believe we can go beyond. And, every dollar raised enables us to grow more food, feed more people, work for a food secure and food sovereign Detroit, and engage in efforts for justice within our food system.
Thank you to each of you who has already given so generously. Thank you for believing in us and for supporting our efforts to right-size our infrastructure so we can provide local, safe, healthy, high quality food for everyone. We appreciate each of you so much!
With gratitude,
Leah
photos
This is where photos will go once we build flickr integrationdonors
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Areeta B.
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Anonymous
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Michelle Kaiser
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Man in Overalls
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Sue Sides
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Gretchen D
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Matt Wehrly
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Carol Herbert
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Delle McCormick
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Ron and Jackie
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Sharon Cook
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Linda S.
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Eric T
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Karen C
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Monique & Beth
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Lisa and Claire
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Jan & Chris
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Curt Ackley
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