Community Rallies to Replace Windy Ridge Farm's Greenhouse
HAWLEY, Mass. — The community has stepped up to help Windy Ridge Farm after an early March windstorm destroyed its greenhouse — more than $20,000 was raised in just a matter of weeks.
"Our community absolutely showed up for us, which was just a really incredible feeling," owner and founder Julia Lemieux said.
"We've been farming in the same area and at the same farmers' markets for about 13 years so I consider a lot of our customers our friends at this point because they've been buying plants from us for over a decade. So it was really touching to see like how quickly everybody just got behind it."
The family farm is a longtime vendor at the Downtown Pittsfield Farmer's market and Lemieux has managed a community garden program in Pittsfield that serves two of the lowest income neighborhoods in the city since 2014.
On March 8, a severe windstorm demolished a secondary greenhouse that is usually a heated home for Lemieux's organic plants. She said this happened during a critical time of the year because it is before the farm's selling season.
Replacing the greenhouse is estimated to cost about $14,000 and labor to rebuild is around $7,000 Hesitating at first, the farm owner created a GoFundMe and raised about $14,000 in just one day.
"That was really helpful and it's just taking the financial stress off of the whole situation," she said.
"Like most farms, our cash flow is very tight this time of year because we've already purchased all of our seeds and our soil and raw materials, we've already bought everything but we haven't sold anything yet, so this is a time of year when our farm accounts are very, very lean, so it was definitely not something that we could cover on our own financially."
Included in the donations was a $1,000 match from Berkshire Agricultural Ventures. The fundraiser is almost at its goal of $21,000 at just over $20,500.
The new greenhouse will be built by Rimol Greenhouse Co. out of New Hampshire and Lemieux estimates that the structure will be up by the end of the week.
Friends from Mass Food Delivery/Mycoterra Farm helped her pick up the parts to avoid waiting for them to be delivered by a freight company and many people have offered their labor for cleaning up and rebuilding.
Lemieux said the success of the fundraiser has allowed the farm to get a sturdier greenhouse to protect against future storms.
"The original greenhouse that we had put up 11 years ago that was destroyed, we had purchased it used and this is a new structure and it's stronger, it's going to have extra wind bracing," Lemieux said.
"And so it's really going to be like an improved structure at the end of the day."
Windy Ridge Farm has been in operation since 2009 offering organic plants and produce.
The farm has donated extra produce to The Christian Center and the Berkshire Dream Center in Pittsfield as well as accepting WIC and senior coupons at the farmers market to increase accessibility for fresh produce.
Lemieux has extended her wholehearted thanks to the community for supporting her family's livelihood in the face of a difficult time.
Tags: donations, farming,
