Local food pantries have increasingly been offering fresh produce to clients. And the best produce is received from local, organic farms and community gardens. This works well during the spring and summer growing season, however, there is a significant
lack of fresh produce to donate during the late fall, winter, and early spring months.
Furthermore, year-round there is a lack of organic, fresh protein offered at food pantries. This is largely because there is no readily available source to receive the protein from.
The problem:
*** Food pantries need organic, local, and sustainable produce during winter months when other gardens are not producing.
*** Food pantries need a year-round organic, local, and sustainable source of protein.
The solution:
Aquaponics!
In the past year, the students at
Davidson Green School in Davidson, North Carolina, started an aquaponics system.
The aquaponics program combines aquaculture, the raising of tilapia and catfish, with hydroponics, the growth of plants above the fish tanks. The system produces a wide range of organic vegetables and herbs.
But this was only the beginning. This first year got the program going and students met with success in fish and produce production. Now, the students are ready to expand the system and give back to the community through food donation to community panties.
We are aiming to produce 200 to 400 pounds of fish and produce!
Some of the programs we hope will be recipients and benefit from our program are:
-Ada Jenkins Center, Loaves and Fishes, Davidson, NC
-Angels and Sparrows Soup Kitchen, Huntersville, NC
-Mooresville Soup Kitchen, Mooresville, NC
-Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Charlotte, NC
-Final Harvest Ministries, Charlotte, NC
-Community Food Rescue, Charlotte, NC
What we need to make this happen:
Currently, the program is housed inside the school. In order to expand the program to a size that can contribute to the community, we need a greenhouse. The construction of a freestanding greenhouse will enable an expansion of the aquaponics program, bringing
production up to a level where we can give to local food pantries and outreach centers.
We anticipate that we will be able to increase our production of fish to 200 lb to 400 lb (depending on the size of the greenhouse), and grow an amazing amount of produce during winter months.
Please donate!
We need YOU to make this possible. Please give what you can to make organic produce and protein available year-round to our food pantries. Every bit helps! Thank you for your generosity. Giving to this project, gives to the community.
All thank you gifts created with herbs and tea will be grown to the extent possible in our new expanded aquaponics system housed in our beautiful new greenhouse!
Davidson Green School is a Public Charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our tax identification number is 46-2884949. All donations are tax deductable.
Please find out more about Davidson Green School and all the good we do at:
www.DavidsonGreenSchool.org and
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