Leila Arboretum Society, Inc.

Goal: Raise $3000 to get a matching amount!!! Any donation will help! EDIT: We have raised $4000 and decided to increase our goal to $3000!!! Can we meet that goal by the end of August???

Battle Creek’s Leila Arboretum operates 365 Urban Farm, which is dedicated to providing fresh, ethically produced vegetables to the impoverished Washington Heights community. Aside from serving local families, the farm stand provide produce to local restaurants. Along with accepting WIC and SNAP credits, it runs a small free pantry. Funds will upgrade the farm. This online fund-raiser will be a match for the Rotary District 3660 Karl Sandelin Grant, and will be combined with a Battle Creek Rotary Club $500 grant and other funds for a total of just under $10,000.

 

The 365 Urban Farm is part of the Leila Arboretum. It is adjacent to the Washington Heights community, which is the lowest income area in Battle Creek. In 2018, an MSU survey determined that 2/3 of residents in this area were below the poverty level and half were utilizing food pantries. The survey made key recommendations to address systems and leverage resources, including to:

o Develop a greater understanding of non-access barriers (i.e. money, transportation) to fruit and vegetable consumption.

o Investigate opportunities to develop new food retail outlets in the Washington Heights neighborhood.

o Explore residents’ interest in gardening in community, church, school, and backyard settings. Identify the reach of urban farms in the Washington Heights area and explore opportunities to expand farm-direct sales.

The 265 Urban Farm (along with other local projects) was developed shortly thereafter to address these needs. This on-line fundraiser is a short-term project, and these funds will help to upgrade the farm and expand its profitability and reach. These requested funds will be utilized during the summer of 2022.

 

This $3000, combined with other revenue sources, will fund the following:

 

($500) Outside Pantry (and Little Library)

Our free pantry is located inside the farm stand and is only visitable on farmstand days. We would like to build a weather-resistant self-service pantry for when we are closed, a library of cookbooks, etc. The requested amount is the approximate cost of materials needed to build, including wood, materials like screws and nails, glass panels, roofing material, paint, etc. Labor would be free and donated by the farm manager.

 

($500) Irrigation Supplies

Our irrigation supplies are currently limited and in poor condition. We could use several thousand feet of drip irrigation and several hundred feet of simple water hose. Currently, irrigating is a tremendous task, often involving repairing and maintaining degraded hoses and lines, which tremendously adds to our current labor expenditure and thereby takes away time and energy from actual farming.

 

($300) Farm Stand Maintenance

The farm stand could use paint and updating to give the impression that it is professional and tidy.

 

($200) Yard Signs

One of the current biggest limiting factors is exposure. Having professionally printed yard signs to place in key locations in the area would be dramatically helpful. The price is for 20 yard signs at $10 per sign.

 

($200) Fence

Our fence needs replacing at key points to help keep deer out of the outdoor growing area. 150’ welded wire fencing.

 

($8000) Hoop House

A Hoop house is a covered but unheated growing area that can dramatically increase crop yields and simplify irrigation by allowing farmers more control. This will dramatically increase the amount of produce we can grow.

 

There are 5000 people within walking distance of the farm stand in Washington Heights. It is also located along a major thoroughfare; restaurant guests also benefit. With the increased visibility and growing capabilities, hundreds could benefit. Additionally, the farm provides free seedlings to home gardeners, distributes free information on growing your own produce, and works with area youth programs to teach gardening fundamentals like how to maintain environmentally friendly and sustainable growing techniques. The Community Garden section of the farm is utilized by Burmese and Congolese refugees. We are seeking funding to help grow and maintain the farm, so we can better serve the community. The farm operates with one full-time and one part-time staff member, and volunteers.