Help build a community garden in Escondido!
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Help Us Build the Canopy Grove Community Garden!
Are you tired of bland grocery store vegetables? Do you miss the joy of playing in the dirt and growing your own food? Have you always wanted to be part of something special—like building a community garden from the ground up? Well, we’ve got great news for you!
Who Are We?
My name is Richard Cannon, and I’m a resident of Escondido, California, as well as the President and Founder of the Canopy Grove Garden Club. We’re part of the California Garden Clubs, Inc. (CGCI), a network of garden enthusiasts across the state. You can learn more about CGCI here.
What Are We Doing?
We’re planning to create a community garden and public orchard in Escondido, CA, on a 1-acre plot of land at the corner of West Country Club Lane and Abbey Lane, across from Wedgewood Event Center. This garden will feature 70-80 individual plots, including at least four handicap-accessible beds and amenities. Future phases include a small orchard with avocado, fig, lemon, lime, and orange trees, open to the public for harvesting. This community garden will be open to applications from the general public, not just Canopy Grove residents.
Here is an early example of a proposed community garden design, along with accessible parking and a public orchard.
Our dedicated team of Escondido residents is working hard to bring this dream to life—but we need your help!
What Do We Need?
To get started, we’re raising $3,000 to cover the legal and tax filing fees needed to apply for a Group Tax Exemption Program through CGCI. This will give us non-profit status, allowing us to raise additional funds and provide tax-deductible receipts for donations to construct the community garden itself.
Your contribution will help cover costs like applying for a Federal EIN, filing forms like 990-N, CA FTB 199-N, and the Initial Registration Form CT-1, and paying application fees.
Update 11/27 - In addition to selecting legal services, we have identified some folks to help us build out a website for the garden club and community garden, and received a quote for the development and support work.
We are extending the fundraising goal an additional $2000 (from $3000 to $5000) to cover this website development and maintenance, which will include things such as:
- 'About Us' page - Where people can go to learn more about the Garden Club and Community Garden
- Gardener Plot Interest List and Application Form - Letting people sign up for an 'interest list' for those interested in leasing a garden plot, and when the garden is ready allow people to apply for a plot, sign all required paperwork and pay online.
- Customer Portal - Provide access for gardeners who have applied to see a history of their payments, signed agreements, etc.
- Donate Button & Tax Receipts - Provide a donate button on the website to allow people to donate electronically, and receive a tax deductible receipt once the Garden Club has applied for and received non-profit status
How You Can Help:
- If you’d like to volunteer or learn more about the project, please fill out this interest survey (click here for survey ) .
- If you have the means, consider donating any amount to help us reach this important first fundraising goal.
Thank you for supporting our vision for a community garden that will benefit our entire community. Every donation helps us grow!
Update 10/26 - Per GoFundMe terms and conditions, removed 'special offer' (providing gardening services)
Note: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.
Organizer
Richard Cannon
Organizer
Escondido, CA