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Barn-Raising for Raceme Farm Collective

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Systemic racism in the food system limits access to fresh local food for many Black and Brown people in the US. Local farming initiatives can bring tools for health and connection back into communities, but farming requires significant initial investments, and BIPOC farmers have less access to capital to start their farms.

For my 32nd birthday this year, I invite you to join me in a virtual barn-raising to give direct support to a particular local farm here in Portland (on Sauvies Island) that is doing important work. 

Raceme Farm Collective  is just starting up their farm collective this year on a new property and have faced a significant loss of income due to coronavirus. They grow medicinal herbs (among other crops) and need to invest in a structure to dry and process herbs. I am fundraising to pay for 1/2 of the material costs of a 12x20 foot shed for them - $1500. The full cost of the shed and herb drying facility is estimated to be $6100 (see breakdown below). Join me! Every small contribution helps. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth (Eli) Brunner


From Raceme Farmers:

We grow weeds and medicine. We believe in food as medicine. We believe in community as medicine, so we grow that too. 
We are three distinct Black and Brown-owned farm businesses that work in collective, sharing investment and risk in farm infrastructure, marketing, and planning work. We farm on unceded Wapato territory, today this place is called Sauvie Island. 

It's an exciting time and a terrifying time to be a farmer, people are more worried about their access to food than they have been in a long time. The government is releasing farmer aid packages, they are designed to aid to much larger farms. Those of us operating under 5 acres are seldom the recipients of those kinds of funds. We are the people at your local farmers markets teaching your kids about herbs, we grow and sell your culturally-specific CSA shares.

Because of Covid-19 we've had to cancel all of our early season face to face plant sales and markets we're struggling because of it. The bulk of our sales usually comes from the value-added products we make from our crops, and less from directly selling the plants. We're not able to hustle for new vending
We farm a lot of herbs that we turn into medicine for communities of color. Herb processing requires a large dry shed/drying facility. We'd also be able to utilize it for tool storage, which will prolong the life of our equipment, etc.

The full cost of the shed and herb drying facility is estimated $6100
-12x20 shed $3000
-Drying rack materials $600
-Fans and storage supplies $600
-Electrical install $2500
Donate

Donations 

  • Saliha Abrams
    • $50 
    • 2 yrs
  • Holly Jones
    • $250 
    • 3 yrs
  • Anonymous
    • $100 
    • 3 yrs
  • Cindy Black
    • $100 
    • 3 yrs
  • PDX bakers Against racism
    • $300 
    • 3 yrs
Donate

Organizer and beneficiary

Elizabeth Brunner
Organizer
Portland, OR
shiny flanary
Beneficiary

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