Mely

Our Family Farm is not just where we work—it is our home and our livelihood. Over the past 5 years, our house has needed repairs. First, our home started with a roof leak. We had to replace the roof (we never got around to fixing the light water damage inside, so we painted over it; we know that will need to be dealt with sooner or later). To save money, my husband, who is a roofer, did the work himself. Shortly after that, our basement started flooding. Our foundation needed raising because the water was seeping into the basement (it still does, so all of our floors are uneven and worn out—just one more cost to add to the list). However, we did some makeshift solutions to allow the water to go around the foundation instead of through the cracks. It still gets wet but not as much. We also installed a new sump pump; when it does flood, it carries that floodwater out to the tank. Shortly after that, our furnace kept going out. We tried to fix it multiple times until the day came that the repair person said there was nothing more they could do; a new one had to be installed. At that time, our AC needed to be updated as the old one would not be compatible with the new furnace. We took out a loan, which we are still paying off. At this time, we also had our well water pressure tank go out again. We taped the little hole it developed, then another one, then another. We kept patching it up as best as possible. When the tears got big enough, we had a friend weld it together, again attempting to buy time to get above water. One day, it just stopped working. It blew the capacitor; we replaced it, and it was good for about two, maybe three weeks. Again, we took out another loan to cover the cost of getting it replaced. But that wasn't all; we also needed to get a water softener for it to work correctly, which was a cost we did not anticipate. Today we find out we need a new water heater. Recently, we had a nosy neighbor who called the county inspector. They came out, walked our property, and decided there are MANY things we need to bring up to code to be able to stay here. One of those major things was to have our whole septic system overhauled by a LICENSED professional. Trees endangering the power lines need to be cut down, and the office we built in our garage for me to work from home also has to be brought to code. We are trying very hard to make it. We have sold off some animals, equipment, and downsized our vehicles, but honestly, we are just at that breaking point. My husband is a blue-collar employee; he does roofing. I myself work, as mentioned before, for a bank. Sadly, my income barely covers my medical expenses, which can come up to 10k per month without health coverage, and with insurance, I meet the deductible and out-of-pocket in January. To make things worse, come March 31, 2026, I will be downsized from my job of 6 years. Selling the farm in the condition it is in will not pay nearly what we owe on it. Bringing things up to code, replacing the septic system, and doing the things needed to make a comfortable living space inside the house is what we truly need. Happy farmers make happy animals. We take pride in the land we cultivate and in the animals we take care of. We love this land. Our four-legged children lived out their golden years here; they also passed here. Their footprints still adorn the garden; their memory still lives here. We stand to lose much more than just a piece of land; a piece of our heart will be lost, our livelihood, and the dream of one day being able to tear down this old house and rebuild one, even if it is tiny. This is the place where we envisioned building a smaller house out back for my mother and father to live in when that time came. Now, that dream is in jeopardy as well. Please, if you find it in your hearts, please donate. If you can't, please share our cry for aid with whomever you know.