NWA Gives: Tri Cycle Farms's Fundraiser
About Tri Cycle Farms
Tri Cycle Farms is a 501(c)3 non profit organization, founded in 2011 with the vision of creating a world with food security, sovereignty and sustainability for all. Our mission is to grow community through soil as we steward food awareness, education and empowerment. We are located at the heart of Fayetteville, Arkansas in the third most food insecure county in the second most food insecure state. Access to healthy food is not a privilege, it's a basic human right. Through our various programs, Tri Cycle Farms impacts hundreds of community members in need each week. Our Food Recovery Program with Whole Foods creates the most immediate impact, having delivered 130,000 pounds of high quality food to individuals and local organizations. Though our garden and education programs we provide sustainable solutions to food insecurity by teaching our neighbors how to grow their own food and build a stronger community.
Our first goal for this fundraiser is to raise $10,000 in supplies for our programs.
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$2,000 to purchase a Seed Starting Cart that will allow us to grow plants for our gardens, generate revenue at our Annual Plant Sale, and donate plants to other community gardens.
- $3,000 to purchase a generator for our Food Recovery Program trailer. This equipment is vital to the safe transportation of food from our donating partners to our receiving partners. Without this generator, we will not be able to keep the trailer cooled during the receiving, packing and delivering process that we operate Monday-Friday every single week.
- $5,000 for gardening tools and equipment such as upgrades to our high tunnel, row covers for spring and fall growing, wheel barrows, shovels, straw, crates, etc.
Our second goal is to raise $20,000 for the construction of a Hydroponics Greenhouse.
- Net-zero energy hydroponics greenhouse for year-round production.
- Year-round income stream to provide financial sustainability through the sale of fresh, high-value produce to local grocery stores and businesses.
- Experiential learning opportunities for University of Arkansas students and community members in a state of the art facility.
Our third and final ask is $30,000 to pay a portion of a year's salary for a new Program Manager position.
- Our first full-time salaried staff member
- Management for all of our programs including our Food Recovery Program, and AmeriCorps VISTA program
- Since Tri Cycle's inception in 2011, we have yet to have a salaried member of our team. For 8 years, we have run solely on the dedication and hard work of volunteers including Don Bennett, Founder and Executive Director, Kelly Bassemier, Garden Coordinator and our various AmeriCorps VISTA, NCCC and GardenCorps members. After many years of hard work, we have grown immensely but have come to a point where we are maintaining rather than thriving. To help Tri Cycle Farms achieve our goal of feeding, educating and empowering our community, we need your help. Through partial funding from grants and partial funding through community members like you, we will be able to take this first step into a financially sustainable organization.
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No updates so far.