It's fundraiser time!

GoldMar Enterprises (Pat and Lisa) is expanding the business into vegetable farming. We are in the process of trying to procure land and equipment so that we can bring the Rochester area a Community Supported Agriculture farm. For more information on this relatively new but fast-growing type of farm, click here.

We met with the bank and found that we'll be expected to come up with some "equity injection" in order to get a loan to start the farm (buy land, etc.) and get planting this season.

We find ourselves at a loss, unable to come up with the kind of money this would entail so we've decided to go with some fundraisers and ask our friends for help.

We're going to need a tractor in order to do the type of farming, plowing, etc. that will need to be done so we decided that this will be the "equity injection" we'll raise funds around. Our goal is to buy a new tractor so that we have warranties and no maintenance/repairs required for the first few years of usage. With that said, we've set our fund raising goal at a whopping $20,000 in order to be able to get that new tractor (we already have some money set aside but not enough).

We're realists, though. We've got a contingency to purchase a used machine if we can't raise enough for a new one, but we're still looking at thousands of dollars to make that happen. Our research shows that used (reliable) tractors aren't a whole lot less than a new one so our goal is new for the reasons stated above.

How can you help?

1. Click on the tractor on the right side of this page. This will take you to the PayPal web site where you can donate any amount of money, starting as low as $1.50. Please note that if you donate less than $1.50, the fees established by PayPal per transaction will pretty much eat up your entire donation so we ask that you keep that $1.50 figure in mind when donating. And here's the thing. If you're not interested in helping out, we're quite fine with that so please don't feel pressured by our friendship or relationship. Oh, and please, don't donate more than $20,000.
2. Save your cans and bottles for us through the end of April. Either return the cans and bottles and send us the slips (or cash), or call us for a pickup of those cans and bottles. If you want to send us receipts or cash, send us an email through this blog (or leave a comment on this post) and we'll send you the address.
3. If you don't like using a credit card online, we'll take paper checks. If this is the way you want to go, send us notification via this blog and we'll give you an address to send it to, or we'll swing by and pick it up. You can leave a comment here as well.
4. Order some spring and summer flowers from us. These flowers won't ship until it's appropriate for our zone (which will be late spring) but they tend to go fast anyway so ordering early is always smart. If you're interested, leave a comment here or email us through this blog. We'll need your email address for this so when you leave your comment, be sure to fill out the email address that you use most frequently.
5. Buy a subscription to the CSA. You can buy one, two or three years' worth of subscriptions. Discounts will be added for multiple year purchases. The more you buy, the greater the discount. Before doing this, please carefully read the information on subscriptions and, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. After you have read the material, click the "Sign me up!" button on the right to get started.
6. No day can start properly without a perfect cup of Joe. Joe Bean that is. Click here to find out how you can help by buying coffee from us.
7. Hire Lisa's handiwork service. She can do plumbing, drywall, mold removal, painting, flooring, repairs around the house and a variety of other tasks -- even floor mouldings! Send us an email through this blog if you're interested in work. She has references, too!
8. Look over our Wish List and see if there's anything there that you can help out with. Often that stuff is just lurking in your garage or basement, taking up space or collecting dust. If you have any items you wish to donate, please contact us through this blog and we'll arrange for a pick-up.
   

Keep an eye on this page and watch this announcement for changes. Keep an eye on that vine to the right, to keep track of how we're doing with your help.

Generally, we can't give you anything in return for your generosity other than our deepest appreciation and a mention on this web page as a "patron" or "sponsor" of our business. However, for every $5 increment in donations, you will earn a chance at a free CSA membership for our first year (2010). This means that you will receive distribution of harvest items along with the paying members. If you are a business and you donate more than $100 we'd be happy to display your ad on this page as well as in our monthly newsletters to our members. Regardless of your donation amount, we'd be happy to link to your personal or business web site here on this page as well.

Thanks so much for your generosity!