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D33. Please describe
<br />any other aspect of your
<br />project that is relevant to
<br />local economic
<br />development. (100 word
<br />limit)
<br />Red Hawk Farm as a general enterprise is strongly oriented towards local economic development.
<br />Our produce is sold locally through W eaver Street Market, Whole Foods Market, Harris Teeter,
<br />Durham Public Schools, Elon University, the Durham Farmers' Market, and similar locations. We
<br />have met with Sara Pitts, School Nutrition Services Director for Orange County Schools, and
<br />would love to expand services to our most local school system. W e partner with many local
<br />suppliers for our purchasing whenever possible and all of our employees live within 40 miles of the
<br />farm.
<br />Criterion 6 - Amount and Duration of Engagement This criterion has a maximum score of 3 pts (out
<br />of a total of 26 pts).
<br />D34. Please describe
<br />the target population to
<br />benefit from the project.
<br />(200 word limit)
<br />W e see this project as, first and foremost, supporting our staff and our customers, all of whom are
<br />defined as local to our farm. Additionally, we see our farm as a pioneer that is able to serve as a
<br />demonstration of what is possible around sustainability and renewable energy on farms in this
<br />region. This demonstration would be of greatest benefit to other farmers and organizations
<br />motivated to support resilient communities and reduced emissions.
<br />D35a. How many people
<br />will benefit from your
<br />project in one year?
<br />(This is the same number
<br />from row 8 in the D16
<br />table above)
<br />23165
<br />D35b. Please describe
<br />how you arrived at this
<br />number. (200 word limit)
<br />Estimating the exact number of people directly served through this grant is challenging. However,
<br />we can use RHF’s current understanding of our serving portion-to-cost as a proxy for number of
<br />people served.
<br />RHF aims to sell approximately $1,200,000 in produce in 2025. W e estimate our serving portion-
<br />to-cost ratio to be $1.00 per portion. For example, a portion of salad greens for one person is 1
<br />oz, and we sell our salad greens for $24 per 48 oz bag wholesale. The math here is actually $0.50
<br />per portion, but without a comprehensive audit to rely on, we conservatively assume $1.00 per
<br />portion instead. Based on this logic, RHF will distribute 1,200,000 portions of produce in 2025.
<br />Further estimating the same individuals buy/enjoy RHF products every week, that is roughly
<br />23,077 individuals per year.
<br />In addition, RHF has 28 staff, all of whom are part of various family units. With an average
<br />American family size of 3.15 people, that’s an additional 88 people directly impacted by this project
<br />through direct removal of exposure to fossil fuels, and through increased wages through redirected
<br />farm profits.
<br />The total (customers, staff, staff families) is 23,165 individuals directly benefiting from this project
<br />in and around OC.
<br />D36. Please describe
<br />how you will engage with
<br />and/or educate project
<br />participants and/or the
<br />community. (250 word
<br />limit)
<br />Red Hawk Farm plans to document our journey to more renewable energy sources in three ways:
<br />photos and video (provided by Splinter Group, an Orange County-based marketing firm), and
<br />written narrative. This information will be shared on our website, in our newly developed quarterly
<br />newsletter, and through our newly launched LinkedIn business page. W e will also share our story
<br />with customers, many of whom are themselves committed to engaging their own customer base in
<br />dialogue about food sourcing, sustainability, and our collective care for the planet (especially our
<br />k12, higher education, and W eaver Street Market customers).
<br />D37. How will you
<br />measure the success of
<br />that engagement or
<br />educational effort? (200
<br />word limit)
<br />The success of our educational efforts will be measured (a) in our annual customer survey through
<br />relevant semi-structured and quantitative interview questions, and (b) through sales expansion
<br />(measured in dollars and number of new customers) to new organizations and businesses seeking
<br />foods sourced specifically from operations focused on reducing CO2 emissions and caring for the
<br />future of the planet.
<br />D38. Is there anything
<br />else you would like to
<br />add about the benefits of
<br />your project, how much
<br />community engagement
<br />and/or education it will
<br />create, or how long it will
<br />last? (150 word limit)
<br />W e believe our project will serve as a model for other regional farm businesses looking to reduce
<br />their greenhouse gas emissions, improve their impact on the planet, and differentiate in an
<br />agricultural market dominated by mega-farms and national aggregators focused solely on price at
<br />the cost of planet health. Our farm has benefited from the generous shared wisdom of partner
<br />organizations in the past, and we plan to offer guidance and support to other farms and businesses
<br />looking to scale their renewable energy infrastructure in the future. By figuring out how to do this
<br />work on our mid-size Orange County farm, we will have solid blueprints for smaller and larger farms
<br />to take our learnings and scale up or down as appropriate.
<br />Docusign Envelope ID: 1EDD1EF6-0E3A-40E1-B431-94002662BCDF
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