Community Healing & Teaching Farm
The Community Farm will be something for everyone to participate and gain from.
Our specific goal as a Community Farm will be to be a Faithful Witness for Jesus, be a place of healing for those Wounded Warriors, Police Officers, First Responders, and others who suffer from PTSD, and will utilize this Community Farm as a Teaching Farm, a very finite experience that will last a lifetime.
Students of all ages will have access to several modes of farming practices and take away from it the skill and experience to farm at home, work, or school.
The products; our produce, fish, vegetables, and prawn, will be able to be shared with others through the teaching, learning, and healing experience.
This will be a truly Community involved endeavor that will continue to give back through many aspects of Healing (Spiritual, Mental, & Physical), Teaching, Eating Healthy, and giving back to those in need in our very own community. The Money Raised in this campaign will go towards the cost of building the greenhouses (foundations, water, power, trash) equipment to go into the greenhouses that the Veterans, Police, and Emergency Responders will need to be successful at growing and learning in a calm enviroment. It will also go towards the cost of buying seeds, lighting, growing medium, grow tables, Fish Fry & Prawn to stock tanks, fans, packaging, Labels (which will be different than Gardens On Air) they will specifically state the GOA Healing & Educational Farm on the packages. That way people know where the money is being used.
10%-20% of all grown will be donated to Meadowbrook Baptist Church 'OPEN HANDS' Community Ministry & any other local food bank, church, or family/person in need. NON-NEGOTIABLE......
We started farming in July 2010 so we could provide fresh locally grown non-gmo, organic, non-pesticide/herbicide grown produce for people with cancer. Specifically for our Dad who suffers with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
In October 2016 I began feeling led towards trying to start this farm with the hopes of having a full family life with my wife and kids but most importantly having a full time ability to witness for my Faith as a Christian. I felt that GOD started placing people and the means to me leaving a great company making very good money to start this local community based farm. Specifically to help with the needy in our community with good jobs and also being able to donate part of what we grow to local churches, food banks, and directly to the needy.
The calling that I felt from GOD was, and is, so strong that I prayed with my wife about it and we took a leap of FAITH and trusted in GOD to provide us the means to do what he was, and is, leading us to do.
In January 2017 we did just that. From that point on we have been trying to get our community a locally owned farm that they will have access to year round. They will know us, who we are, what we believe, and better yet they will be able to see in person where their food is being grown. They will have access to positions at the farm that will be very good paying, great benefits, and right here where they live. A place our community will be proud to be associated with.
We also want to teach local students from Elementary to Doctorate level educators the actual hands on aspects of our community farm. We will have presentations for Daycares through Retirement so that we have a full spectrum of activity for our WHOLE community.
This Community Farm will utilize all aspects of growing and farming. Mostly we will use Climate Controlled High Tunnel Greenhouses to grow our Hydroponic/Aeroponic Produce. We will also utilize Aquaponics to grow Fish & Fresh Water Prawn (Shrimp). All of these options will give our community a well rounded local producer of safe, clean, and healthy food.
We will share harvesting, packaging, and delivery area with those that are involved in learning and healing at our Community Farm. We want everyone to know us on a one on one basis.
The funds that we raise will give us the ability to start this Community Farm right out of the gate and get people hired to work with us from the start. Within one month we will be able to expand and production will gain by more than 6 times what we project right now. Our first month, when GoFundMe is funded, we will immediately hire two full time local residents. We are looking at a starting pay of around $15.00 per hour, benefits, and bonuses once we are set up.
ALL Veterans & Emergency Responders will be able to apply to this amazing place of Healing and Learning.....We may not be able to hire everybody but it will be a place they can come learn and talk to others who have been involved in the same things that they have been........and THAT is what we need......
I FIRMLY believe that GOD has ordained this project to be successfull and to HIS glory. So I will work until it is accomplished.
Thank you for taking time to read our vision.....
The Harrison Family
