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Support The Agricultural Museum of SC

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Hello Friends of  “The Ag,"

Even though we are the state agricultural museum, we receive no funding from the state of South Carolina. We rely on generous donations from our visitors and income from our programs and events. With the widespread effects of COVID-19 at play, we cannot raise money in our traditional ways, and we need your help. 

As is the case with all museums these days, the Agricultural Museum is struggling to meet our financial obligations. The museum needs to raise $15,000 this year to keep the museum open (salary is separate).  About 80% of that $15,000 would typically come from school tours, as we host 28-32 of them a year.  90% of these tours occur in the spring of the year.  This means we are missing income from 2020 (as field trips were shut down in March) and all 2021 field trips.  A generous donation bailed us out at the end of the 2019-20 fiscal year.  We cannot count on that happening again.  So far, we have made $5,200 from: 5 summer virtual camps, 2 months of our Story Time and More / AG Day / "AG"venture programs, field trips to schools, admissions.  We are also hosting two virtual holiday camps that should bring in $1,200.  Therefore, we need to raise $9,000 to meet our 20-21 income obligations.

Expenses are another issue...  We have worked really hard to reduce our expenses.  We have cut our utility bills from around $700 a month to $350, we have terminated the pest control and lawn service contracts, we turn lights on only when we have visitors, and we water by hand rather than by a watering system.  We have re-homed some of our animals, are shredding paper for litter, and trying to supplement animal food with veggies from our gardens.  However, even with these bittersweet adjustments, that still leaves more expenses for our animals, education programs / supplies, maintenance of existing structures, and building of new facilities to house donated artifacts.  These expenses are hard to reduce.  Animals have to eat.  Buildings fall apart and artifacts need to be protected.  Virtual and in-person events are very expensive as supplies can’t be shared, every child has to have their own set, and attendance is limited due to social distancing.  Our budget typically would be about $10,000 a year, but for the 20-21 fiscal year, we have received no budget money unless it is donated by friends of the ag museum.  So, we desperately need the help of our generous donors to come through with this $10,000, if we want to continue running the museum in the form people are used to seeing. 

We have received generous help already.  One of our volunteers is making masks and donating the whole cost to four charities in the area and the museum is one of the recipients.  One of our parents is working on a spring time concert / dance to be held as a fundraiser.  One donor paid for 3 months of animal food and others have donated money.  We have friends bringing in paper to shred and craft supplies.  We are so thankful for these donors and the generosity they have shown us, but, unfortunately, the museum needs more. 
 
If you are interested in helping the museum, any donations you make should be designated for the museum budget (that would help with the expenses) or educational (that would help with meeting our income goals.  We prefer checks or cash as they give us immediate access to the money and don’t cost us a service fee.  Checks should be made out to Lake Hartwell Country, mailed to AG Museum, 120 History Lane, Pendleton, SC 29670, and have AG Museum budget or AG Museum Education written on the memo line.  You can also call the museum (864-646-7271) and use a credit card via Pay Pal or use our GoFundMe link on the Support tab of our website (www.bgamsc.org).

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  We hope to see you at the Ag Museum soon.  Open hours are Thursday thru Saturday:  12pm - 5pm. Admission is $3 for ages 6 and over with a $10 household maximum.  A family pass with 10 visits is available for a pre-paid $50.  This is a 30% - 50% savings.

These donations will help us keep the lights on at the museum after this is all over so that we can continue to provide agricultural education to anyone that steps through our doors. We are struggling, and from the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank you so much for your continued support of The Ag Museum.

Deepest regards,
The Ag Museum Team

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Ag Museum
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Pendleton, SC

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