EXCITEMENT IS IN THE AIR!

Excitement is in the air – and on the ground – here at Rural Resources' Holly Creek Farm! We have an opportunity to receive a $200,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to complete the new Farm & Food Learning Center! Construction began on the project in July and, as many of you know, site grading, septic, the slab for the foundation, roughed in plumbing and the tap to the county water line are finished, and super-insulated wall panels are on the way.

“Once the walls arrive, the building will take shape very quickly,” says Executive Director Sally Causey. “We will have a sustainably built, energy efficient Learning Center.”

In order to qualify for the grant money to finish the building, we have to raise $200,000. We are launching a capital campaign this month to reach our goal by Jan. 31^st. 

  

“The teens in our Farm & Food Teen Training program will be able to prepare and preserve the food they grow on-site and be able to build sustainable farm- and food-related businesses,” said Causey. “Farm Day Campers won’t have to use the outhouse anymore and students coming for field trips will have expanded offerings. There is no doubt that this facility will be a game-changer for hands-on learning opportunities for years to come.”

The learning center will house classrooms, a commercial kitchen and office space to replace buildings lost in a devastating fire in 2009. The kitchen space will also be available to residents of Greene County and surrounding areas.

Since the fire, staff has worked out of a donated two-room trailer and programs have been conducted in the farm's tobacco barn, outbuildings and a Pavilion donated earlier this year by the Rotary Club. There is no indoor plumbing on the property.

Thank you for getting us this far! Can you help us take advantage of this generous opportunity from the Appalachian Regional Commission? Donations to the capital campaign to complete construction can be made through Generosity.com, by visiting ruralresources.net or by mailing a check to:

Rural Resources

2870 Holly Creek Rd

Greeneville, TN 37745