FOG WILLOW FARMS

Hi, my name is Jenn Leon and I am writing this on behalf of my friends Joe and Stacey Cates at Fog Willow Farms. Many of you know that Fog Willow is located in Wilton and is the home of so many of our memories with both our families and with our children's schools during field trips.

During the New Year's Eve storms that lasted two weeks ~ it wreaked havoc on so many including the Farm at Fog Willow. Every building on the farm sustained damage during the storm. Fences were torn down by the river, cargo containers were flooded and left on their sides, and animals had to be rescued through moving water by the Cates family. With the water coming so fast over the levee with very little notice, their family had to quickly decide to save materials or the animals. They choose the animals and all were saved. The workshop used to build everything at Fog Willow endured 3 feet of water causing 19 years' worth of Science farm experiments and Pumpkin farm materials for the school kids to be destroyed. Nothing could be salvaged.

My offer to start this GoFundMe was not an offer or a route they wanted to take in the beginning but now have realized it is necessary to continue on. After seeing the damage once the water began to recede and the mud finally began to dry, they quickly began to REALLY see what damage there is. The limited insurance help will be far less than the actual damage endured and doesn't take into account all the additional help they will need to come in and rebuild fences, shed, pens, experiments, clean up etc.

It has been discussed and strongly emphasized that this Community gift will be used strictly in rebuilding for the school kids and families who visit Fog Willow Farms. None of it will be used for their own personal losses on the Farm. If our gift exceeds their rebuilding costs, all remaining monies will be applied to the annual Fog Willow "Friends of the Farm" scholarship fund for local students.

After enduring the hardship of the pandemic, and now these floods, Fog Willow Farms is in desperate need of our help. The road ahead will be a tough one, but I believe that their grit and commitment to continue to help us make memories is a promise they are not willing to quit on. They are still planning on having field trips in April for Science Farm.

Please help if you can and SHARE SHARE SHARE!!!

Let us show this AMAZING piece of our community just how important they are! Let them continue to make all the children smile for the next 20 YEARS!!