Help Violet Drew's Farm recover from fire damages
Please help! Ra's Sunrise Daughter Farm Stand recently suffered a tremendous loss of the majority of their farming equipment and supplies in an uncontrolled fire that crossed onto their property. This terrible event threatens the vitality of their farming operation. This wonderful farming family urgently needs community support to get back on their feet. Sejah Farm and Ridge to Reef Farm have joined together to organize this fundraiser for these fellow farmers. We need you to make it a success!
Farm proprietors Ms. Violet Drew and Samuel Tyson have been farmers for over 18 years. Along with the children of the family, they have made great contribution to the resurgence of an agricultural operations in the Virgin Islands. They also carry the torch of local food provision from the past to future generations. If you attend the VI Agrifest on St. Croix you likely have seen them and their amazing displays of fresh produce and value added products all produced on St. Croix. They also sell regularly at their stand on Midland Rd. and various markets around the VI.
Fire sweeps through the farm
On July 29, 2021, a neighbor lit a fire and left it unattended. On July 30, 2021, when Samuel Tyson return to their farm he found the destruction of the fire that cross the fence line between them and their neighbor. The farm storage house was destroyed by the fire along with all their farm assets that were safely stored in the unit. They were unaware of the fire that was left to burn overnight. Now they cannot operate nor can they immediately replace the important assets without significant help.
Their storage house contained farm equipment, tools and operational materials they require to function as a farm in full capacity. The list at the bottom of this page shows partially what was lost and is estimated to take $30,000 replacement costs for the purchase and shipping so they can be made whole again and continue their important and treasured work.
This event has put a halt on the farm production and will caused a significant drop in their farm income.
They have help moved the farming industry in the Virgin Islands to where it is today. Ms. Drew's ability to utilized what is locally grown on the Island by creating Value-Added products is unmeasurable.
How you can help
They need significant and immediate support to put them back on track and to get their local production on our tables. Your donation can make a significant difference in helping them to recover. We can’t afford to lose such a precious resource from our farming community. All financial donations (100% minus standard gofundme fees) will go directly to Violet Drew's family account so that it may be immediately accessed to begin the process of replacing what was lost. When you make a donation, gofundme transfers that money directly into that beneficiary account.
Another way to help is to make a supplies/equipment donation. If you have extra tools/equipment or would like to purchase something new for them, you may drop these items off at Sejah Farm during weekday and Saturday business hours or at the Ridge to Reef Farm "Tienda" stand on Mahogany Rd by the Lawaetz Museum (Wed & Sat 11-3). Please see the list below for the items that were lost that need to be replaced:
A final way to help is to spread the word about this fundraiser through your social media and contacts that you think may be able to pitch in. We hope to meet the goal within a month, but we will keep this fundraiser open as long as it is needed.
This fundraiser is managed by Yvette Brown of Sejah Farms and Nate Olive of Ridge to Reef Farm with the blessing of the sole beneficiary Ms. Drew and her family as they are busy dealing with the aftermath and trying to keep up with current crops under the currently difficult circumstances. To be crystal clear, 100% of proceeds will go directly to Ms. Drew's farm recovery. If you would like to join the fundraising efforts in any way please let us know. On behalf of Ra's Sonrise Daughter Stand Farm, thank you so very much for your timely and generous support!
