GoFarm's Vision Continues After 10 Years
GoFarm was founded in 2014, and we turn 10 this year! We are celebrating 10 years of making locally-grown food more affordable and available to the community by supporting and training local farmers.
The process of planting, growing, and getting food from farms to our plates is largely disconnected, inefficient, exclusionary, and it relies on unhealthy farming practices.
At GoFarm, we envision a local food system that is equitable, resilient, environmentally sustainable, and inclusive. One in which farmers and farm workers have the resources they need to thrive and farm safely, community members have reliable access to healthy, local, and sustainably-grown food, and everyone feels inspired to engage in their local food community.
Each season, we see more of these changes in our community, and we look forward to impacting even more farmers and food-buyers (everyone) in the future.
Here are 10 Ways you can Help us Celebrate!
1. Help GoFarm Purchase a Tractor!
GoFarm signed a lease with the City of Arvada for a 3.5 acre plot of land in May - our future Farmer Training Center! One of the biggest barriers to entry for beginning farmers is land access. We're so excited to have the ability to offer plots of land to our Incubator Farmers with the necessary infrastructure in place for years to come.
The size of this land outstrips the equipment and tools GoFarm currently has access to. Our goal is to raise $30,000 to purchase a tractor and other heavy equipment to help us manage the land, help our Incubator Farmers get started, provide further educational opportunities, and manage our own crops.
Will you consider donating to help us reach our goals of training and supporting the next generation of local farmers?
2. Attend or Sponsor our 10th Annual Harvest Dinner on November 14th
Come see us in person, enjoy delicious food prepared using fresh, local produce, chat with community members and local farmers, celebrate GoFarm's 10th Anniversary with us, and help us raise funds to support the next 10 years of programming!
Save the date! The 10th Annual Harvest Dinner is this fall on Thursday, November 14th in Golden at the Buffalo Rose.
Tickets will be available soon. We look forward to seeing you there!
Interested in sponsoring this event? Please email alyssa@gofarm.org. Your support is what helps make these community events successful :)
3. Become a Monthly Donor
Our goal is to recruit 100 new monthly donors who can commit to a gift of $10 or more per month! Regular giving is crucial for nonprofits. Monthly donor support allows us to have a reliable stream of donations and be able to plan for and use those funds efficiently throughout the year.
Would you join our Farm Friends monthly donor team and help us bring more local, affordable food to the community today?
4. Volunteer with GoFarm
We have several volunteer opportunities at GoFarm! You can help us with farm work, local food share distribution, food demos, events, mobile markets, and more.
We currently have an ongoing volunteer opportunity at our new farm plot in Arvada - details below.
When: 7am - 10:30am every Tuesday, through August
What: Help launch our Farmer Training Center!
Bring: Water bottle, gloves, sun protection, hori hori (garden knife) if you have one
Where: 8412 Alkire St, Arvada, CO
We love seeing friendly faces and welcoming new faces into our community to help us do all of these important activities.
5. Tell 10 people about GoFarm
If you are following us on social media already, please share our posts and stories with your network. Consider introducing people to GoFarm through a small gathering with friends, family, or coworkers. It means a lot when we share why we care about things in our community with friends. GoFarm appreciates your support and your help with spreading the word about the work we do!
If you have questions or would like materials to help you share GoFarm’s mission, email alyssa@gofarm.org.
6. Donate an Auction Item for GoFarm's Harvest Dinner
Do you have something exciting you’d like to donate for the live or silent auction at GoFarm’s 10th Annual Harvest Dinner this fall?
We would love to feature more items from local businesses, artisans, and community members this year!
Examples of auction items: Airbnb Stay/Travel Points, Ski Tickets/Outdoor Gear, Artwork by Local Artists, Store Gift Cards, Knife Set, Massage/Spa Basket, Date Night Dinner Gift Cards, Liquor Basket, Amusement Park/Museum Tickets, Cooking/Dance Classes.
Would you like to donate to the auction? Are you interested in sponsoring this milestone event? Email alyssa@gofarm.org!
7. Give us a Google Review
GoFarm currently has about 20 reviews on Google. Many people look for GoFarm by doing a Google search, so it helps to have more reviews, recent reviews, and reviews sharing a positive experience with GoFarm. Having more 5-star reviews will help us reach more people who are Googling GoFarm for the first time to find out more about the organization!
Are you interested in helping more people in the community learn about GoFarm and our services? Do you have a positive story to share?
8. Help us Name our New Farm Plot in Arvada
Our Arvada farm is at the Hills of Standley Lake Park. Our main uses for this property will be to educate new farmers on hands-on techniques of farming, and as an incubator site where we can give beginning farmers access to plots of land needed to start their new farm businesses.
We would like to honor the original inhabitants of this land with the name we choose. Some ideas the team has come up with are inspired by the following words/themes: connection to the roots of the land and the people, farming, soil, food, sun, water, Mother Earth, Three Sisters, Wojapi, Four Winds, and Mochi.
Email name ideas to alyssa@gofarm.org!
9. Share a Crowdfunding Campaign
Crowdfunding campaigns are a great way to raise funds for something you care about. If you have a birthday coming up or are interested in supporting GoFarm in this way, it's a great opportunity to get people together behind a great cause.
At GoFarm, we work everyday to get sustainably-grown, local, nutritious food to our community at a price they can afford. We actively reach out to groups of people who have barriers to getting fresh, healthy food on their tables, such as transportation or cost.
We also train people who are interested in starting their own farms. As many farmers are over the age of 55, and more are retiring each year, we aim to secure Colorado’s access to fresh, local food by training the next generation.
Would you consider supporting GoFarm by getting your network involved and sharing a crowdfunding page on your social media profiles? Let’s see how much we can raise to support this critical work!
10. Share your Story with us
We would love to share stories about how you found out about GoFarm, what programs you are connected with, how GoFarm has impacted your life, why you think GoFarm's work is important, and more.
Stories are a great way to connect with people, and we want to connect people within our community and welcome more folks to be a part of it :)
Thank you!
Lastly, we want to thank each and every one of you for being part of our community. We appreciate your support in whatever form it comes: word of mouth, volunteering, social media sharing, financial support, and more.
Thank you for making 10 years of GoFarm possible!
Bonus: Follow us on Social Media
We are actively trying to reach more people in our community and inform them about GoFarm's services and learning opportunities.
We appreciate all likes, comments, shares, and story shares :)
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