- project leader
- Sean F
- location
-
197 Huntingtown Rd(Botsford)
- latest update rss
- No updates yet.
the project
Real Food Share is a non-profit in Newtown, CT formed by an amazing group of volunteers that value community, the environment, and supporting those in need. Our team's incredible efforts have put us in the position to donate 100 baskets of fresh produce every week to food-insecure families in our community.
We are hard at work maximizing the amazing opportunities and diverse resources available in town. Last year we partnered with Sticks and Stones Farm, restoring their 10,000 sq/ft giving garden. The NHS Greenery Class was our second partner, as we harvested their outdoor gardens during the summer in the absence of their class. In all, we donated over 700lbs of produce to the FAITH Food Pantry, the Nunnawauk Meadows Retirement Community, and the Senior Center. We have added a third production partner for 2020, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, as we are preparing to manage the 30 raised beds in the middle of their restored meadows.
All of the land we are managing will be treated following the principles of regenerative agriculture, placing a primary focus on the health of the soil and surrounding environments. We are prepared to be a hub for any volunteers interested or needing hours in agriculture, food security, or environment-friendly practices. We will have class offerings, resources, and workshops available for what we consider 21st Century Health Skills: healthy food identification, nutrition education, simple food preparation, and horticulture basics.
Outreach efforts are ongoing to publicize our message as we strive to meet our donation goal this upcoming season. With your help, not only can we produce enough food for our community members, but we can serve as a hyper-local example for neighboring towns on how to maximize resources for the greater good.
the steps
- Complete the building of the hoop house for seed starting and season extension, heated by a closed-circuit energy system run on a compost pile and solar panels (March 2020)
- Order all of our seeds, plants, bushes, starting supplies, and amendments (March 2020)
- Build the farm stands at both Sticks and Stones and CVH Animal Sanctuary (April 2020)
- Begin planting (April/May 2020)
- Harvest and Donations Begin (May/June 2020)
- Events and Workshops (May/June 2020)
- Week to Week Operations Management for volunteers and interns (May through November 2020)
why we're doing it
Healthy food access should be viewed as a fundamental right for everyone. Our society has a disconnection from our food sources unlike any other time in history. Food typically travels 1500 miles from farm to plate, with 50% of its nutrition depleted after 3 days. Chemicals, pesticides, and depleted soils have a major impact on the food that plays a large part in dictating our physical health outcomes.
Growing healthy food is a simple and beautiful practice that we are only a generation removed from. Maximizing available resources, partnerships, and volunteer efforts are the foundation of a hyper-local food system that supports the impoverished and struggling. Newtown, CT has relatively low poverty numbers (3-5%) but has up to 29% of residents reporting food insecurity in recent reports. By producing and donating food through environmentally-friendly practices, we are cultivating community health as best as we can.
budget
Disbursed budget:
Deer Fencing at Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary: $4066
The fencing was going to be donated and installed by Webster Bank at a corporate outing at the Sanctuary but had to be canceled due to pandemic. We are hoping to fundraise for the fence and install it ourselves so we can continue with our crop plans.
Website Updates: $650
With all of the new project updates and press, we needed to upgrade our representation online. A friend gave us a great deal on updating our project.
Tractor: $5000
We are looking at a used tractor to move heavier items like our compost pile, wood chips, rocks, leaf mulch, and amendments. It would save hours of volunteer time to be able to move items in bulk.
High School Internship Stipend: $2000
We have filled two college internship positions but have found a very interested high school student who has expressed a desire to learn and contribute. We very much desire to create a position for her to help out and expand our growing and donation capacity.
Gardening Items:
- Hand Tools, Gloves, Cans, Wheelbarrows: $300
- Storage Containers, Labeling, Scales, Logs: $300
- Hoses, Filters, Water Pump, Tarps: $300
Planting:
- Seeds for Sticks and Stones: $675
- Seeds and Fruit Bushes for CVH Animal Sanctuary: $350
- Seed Starting Materials (trays, compostable pots, soil starter): $200
- Natural Soil Amendments (inoculants, worm castings, beneficial insects, microbiology): $1000
- Compost Tea Maker: $2000
Greenhouse:
- Framework (Doors, wood, fittings, plastic, shelving): $1200
- Heating (Compost pile, tubing, pump, solar panels, heating mats, row covers): $1200
Harvest and Donating:
- Baskets, Ties, Labels: $200
- Refrigeration: $2000
Farm Stands (Sticks and Stones Farm and CVH Animal Sanctuary):
- Faucets and Sinks: $500
- Siding and Doors: $1200
- Wood for Framing and Flooring: $800
- Signage, Baskets, Shelving: $600
- Roofing and Cover Tarps: $400
- Catchment Barrells, Storage Crates: $200
Marketing / Advertising / Events
- Real Food Share Gear for our Core Team Leaders: $500
- Real Food Share Bags for Food Pickup: $500
- Fliers and Printing: $150
- Video Marketing: $300
Food Transportation and Care
- Pickup Truck: $7000
- Coolers: $200
Volunteer Trainings and Education
- CT NOFA: $300
- Regenerative Ag Classwork: $500
- Non-Profit Site Visits: $500
Internship Stipends:
- 2 Part-time Internships for College Students: $6700
Misc. Items for Volunteers:
- Water, Bug Spray, Snacks, First-Aid, Sunblock, Notebooks: $250
| TOTAL RAISED = | $44,074.00 |
| ioby Platform Fee | $35.00 |
| ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) | $661.11 |
| TOTAL TO DISBURSE= | $43,377.89 |
Updated budget:
Deer Fencing at Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary: $4066
The fencing was going to be donated and installed by Webster Bank at a corporate outing at the Sanctuary but had to be canceled due to pandemic. We are hoping to fundraise for the fence and install it ourselves so we can continue with our crop plans.
Website Updates: $650
With all of the new project updates and press, we needed to upgrade our representation online. A friend gave us a great deal on updating our project.
Tractor: $5000
We are looking at a used tractor to move heavier items like our compost pile, wood chips, rocks, leaf mulch, and amendments. It would save hours of volunteer time to be able to move items in bulk.
High School Internship Stipend: $2000
We have filled two college internship positions but have found a very interested high school student who has expressed a desire to learn and contribute. We very much desire to create a position for her to help out and expand our growing and donation capacity.
Gardening Items:
- Hand Tools, Gloves, Cans, Wheelbarrows: $300
- Storage Containers, Labeling, Scales, Logs: $300
- Hoses, Filters, Water Pump, Tarps: $300
Planting:
- Seeds for Sticks and Stones: $675
- Seeds and Fruit Bushes for CVH Animal Sanctuary: $350
- Seed Starting Materials (trays, compostable pots, soil starter): $200
- Natural Soil Amendments (inoculants, worm castings, beneficial insects, microbiology): $1000
- Compost Tea Maker: $2000
Greenhouse:
- Framework (Doors, wood, fittings, plastic, shelving): $1200
- Heating (Compost pile, tubing, pump, solar panels, heating mats, row covers): $1200
Harvest and Donating:
- Baskets, Ties, Labels: $200
- Refrigeration: $2000
Farm Stands (Sticks and Stones Farm and CVH Animal Sanctuary):
- Faucets and Sinks: $500
- Siding and Doors: $1200
- Wood for Framing and Flooring: $800
- Signage, Baskets, Shelving: $600
- Roofing and Cover Tarps: $400
- Catchment Barrells, Storage Crates: $200
Marketing / Advertising / Events
- Real Food Share Gear for our Core Team Leaders: $500
- Real Food Share Bags for Food Pickup: $500
- Fliers and Printing: $150
- Video Marketing: $300
Food Transportation and Care
- Pickup Truck: $7000
- Coolers: $200
Volunteer Trainings and Education
- CT NOFA: $300
- Regenerative Ag Classwork: $500
- Non-Profit Site Visits: $500
Internship Stipends:
- 2 Part-time Internships for College Students: $6700
Misc. Items for Volunteers:
- Water, Bug Spray, Snacks, First-Aid, Sunblock, Notebooks: $250
| PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED = | $42,716 |
| ioby Platform Fee | $35 |
| ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) (Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.) |
$1,322 |
| TOTAL TO RAISE = | $44,073 |
| Donation processing fees apply to donations only. 100% of match funding goes to projects. Please note, fees are estimated here and final numbers may change based on the final amount raised and amount of match funding applied to this campaign. |
Original Budget:
Gardening Items:
- Hand Tools, Gloves, Cans, Wheelbarrows: $300
- Storage Containers, Labeling, Scales, Logs: $300
- Hoses, Filters, Water Pump, Tarps: $300
Planting:
- Seeds for Sticks and Stones: $675
- Seeds and Fruit Bushes for CVH Animal Sanctuary: $350
- Seed Starting Materials (trays, compostable pots, soil starter): $200
- Natural Soil Amendments (inoculants, worm castings, beneficial insects, microbiology): $1000
- Compost Tea Maker: $2000
Greenhouse:
- Framework (Doors, wood, fittings, plastic, shelving): $1200
- Heating (Compost pile, tubing, pump, solar panels, heating mats, row covers): $1200
Harvest and Donating:
- Baskets, Ties, Labels: $200
- Refrigeration: $2000
Farm Stands (Sticks and Stones Farm and CVH Animal Sanctuary):
- Faucets and Sinks: $500
- Siding and Doors: $1200
- Wood for Framing and Flooring: $800
- Signage, Baskets, Shelving: $600
- Roofing and Cover Tarps: $400
- Catchment Barrells, Storage Crates: $200
Marketing / Advertising / Events
- Real Food Share Gear for our Core Team Leaders: $500
- Real Food Share Bags for Food Pickup: $500
- Fliers and Printing: $150
- Video Marketing: $300
Food Transportation and Care
- Pickup Truck: $7000
- Coolers: $200
Volunteer Trainings and Education
- CT NOFA: $300
- Regenerative Ag Classwork: $500
- Non-Profit Site Visits: $500
Internship Stipends:
- 2 Part-time Internships for College Students: $6700
Misc. Items for Volunteers:
- Water, Bug Spray, Snacks, First-Aid, Sunblock, Notebooks: $250
| PROJECT FUNDING NEEDED = | $31,000 |
| ioby Platform Fee | $35 |
| ioby Donation Processing Fee (3%) (Donation processing fee does not apply to match funding.) |
$473 |
| TOTAL TO RAISE = | $31,508 |
| Please note: ioby fees are estimated and will be calculated based on totals at the end of the campaign. |
updates
Sorry, but this project doesn't have any updates yet.
photos
This is where photos will go once we build flickr integrationdonors
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LisaR
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Shady Hill Farm
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