I’m more and more a fan of the grassroots, Web-based fundraiser Kickstarter. Never more so than with this project, Truck Farm Chicago, which only has 12 days left and a little less than half its goal left — to raise $4,000 to so that this small group of agri-educators can reach out to 3,000 students, many of them in Chicago’s food deserts.
I’m delighted to see a local version of the Truck Farm CSA that Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis experimented with several years ago in Brooklyn.
Here in Chicago, Farmgirls Shari and Syndey and Farmer Tim got a truck, aka Petunia, fueled her with bio-fuel and filled her bed with soil and compost. They drive directly to schools, and show students how to plant, nurture and harvest fresh food along the side of any road. They also teach with cooking demos and nutrition lessons.
As Sydney says in the video, “Truck Farm proves that food can be grown anywhere there’s sun, space and creativity.”
The way Kickstarter works is that your credit card will only be charged with your pledge if the organizers reach their goal…in this case that’s $4,000 by 10 p.m. May 24. Donors can pick any level from $10 to $500 and $1,000. Big donors get tours of the operation, plus a meal and t-shirts.
Virtual Farmgirl 