This is something I missed when the Covid-19 crisis started taking hold in the United States. There is a fundraising effort under to dig a well for the Wilson Street Urban Farm. To date, $2,435 has been raised towards a goal of $4000.
Here is the backstory on the effort written by Steve Strand. It was originally posted on the Wilson Street Urban Farm’s Facebook group.
Imagine what it would take to transform two acres of long neglected, vacant city lots into a vibrant community garden. Twelve years ago, Mark and Janice Stevens and their family moved to the East Side of Buffalo, and have accomplished just that. The family has cleared away mountains of debris, and filled the spaces with heaps of good soil. Two big hoop houses have replaced what remained of demolished homes. They have built their own rain fed irrigation system. Now Wilson Street Urban Farm is a place where neighbors can stroll by and pluck fresh grapes from the vines that border beds of thriving organically grown vegetables, berries, herbs and flowers. W.S.U.F. makes fresh, local, organically grown produce readily available to residents of Buffalo, especially on the East Side of Buffalo. They have created a sacred green space – a place of quiet and welcome, a place of beauty and restoration, offering neighbors a place to connect with creation, their Creator and one another.
A few weeks ago, some of us gathered in the Stevens’ home to help re-imagine what the next season of W.S.U.F. might hold. That is when the dream was born to collectively raise enough money to supply a well for the farm – $4,000. Such a project would help supply an abundance of clean water, free of harmful chemicals, directly to the farm. Currently,the irrigation system depends heavily on rain water collected on the farm, as well as municipal water piped from the Stevens’ home through garden hoses over 150 feet, across Wilson Street to the farm. No longer dependent on a complex process requiring access to the Stevens’ private home, a well opens up new possibilities for generosity and community building. With ready access to water, it will be possible to make garden beds available to neighbors who also want to farm – refugees or newcomers to the city, or long time residents who love the land.
This project was not solicited by the Stevens. Rather, it took shape in our imaginations as a way to honor and share in new possibilities at the farm. Perhaps this is something you would like to be a part of too. If so, you will find a PayPal link below. Help bring a well to Wilson Street Urban Farm!
Many thanks!
Friends of the farmHere is the PayPal link https://www.paypal.me/wilsonsturbanfarm?locale.x=en_US
The transformation of a large part of Wilson Street between Broadway and Sycamore by the Stevens family over the last twelve years into a farm is remarkable. Putting a well on the land will lead to bigger and better things for the Wilson Street Urban Farm. Please consider helping with this effort.
