Dear Our Harvest Community,
We are reaching out to ask for your help. We stand at a crossroads. Our Harvest has been struggling with debt incurred in it's early days. We can’t manage it any longer. We have an exciting and unprecedented opportunity to reduce and refinance the majority of the debt on much more beneficial terms. However, for Our Harvest to continue beyond December 20th, we must refinance the debt AND raise $35,000.
Over the 8 years of our existence, the paths of sales, production, and distribution are now clearer than ever. Our extraordinary worker-owners have grown wiser about what it takes to be successful in the farming and food hub business. We've made it through many challenges. But this one is larger than we can survive alone.
We're sending this to our customers and community so that you can have a say in the fate of this rare gem, an operation that embodies and delivers what is critical for real wellness in our community:
fresh food that actually has vitality, delivered with care right to your neighborhood
grown in soil teaming with life
using farming methods that sequester carbon & build soil health (especially critical in this time of Climate Change)
to get food to where food is needed most
from a co-op where workers can become owners
and future farmers are educated and supported (practicum site for Cincinnati State) .
How does Our Harvest continue to provide all of these things? We've got to have our debt restructured. There's a good chance this loan restructuring will be approved. We also need $35,000 in donations. Both of these things have to happen for us to continue. With your help we can survive AND be successful.
Will you help to keep Our Harvest going strong in our community? Do you know someone who would want to help us? Your support can take many forms:
tax deductible donation of any amount through CUCI , our fiscal sponsor (cincinnatiunioncoop.org)
become a community owner for $100
purchase preferred stock for $1000/share
get on our volunteer or steering team
forward this message to 2 amazing people in your life who understand the connection between healthy eating and healing our planet [Click the ‘Share’ button below.]
Please email kristen@cincinnatiunioncoop.org or call if you're able to help.
Thanks for your thoughtful consideration.
Kristen, Our Harvest Board President
