If we hit our stretch target - the funds will allow the project to last longer, for us to promote more and it will enable us to work with more volunteers and groups. We’ll also have a bigger budget and capability to do more marketing and events.
Farmacy Co-op is a not-for-profit social enterprise that is focused on:
- Secure Access To Organic Food & Natural Essential Items
- Localisation & Not-For-Profit Models
- Decentralisation & Co-operative (Community) Ownership
- Building Strong Communities Resilient To Any Crisis
- Regenerating Nature & Biodiversity
- Improving Health & Wellbeing
Community-Owned Infrastructure
We're helping to build the alternative systems & services we're all going to need. Permanent & resilient community infrastructure focused on:
- Nature Restoration & Resiliency Against Any Change In Climate
- People-owned Economic Systems - focused on local production - providing everyone secure access to healthy food & essential items
- Permaculture
- Systems Thinking
- Design Of Enduring Systems
- Support Human Society
- Study Of Integrated Systems
Cost Of Living Crisis
We’re in a great place to try & address this crisis. Both on a short term basis, but also longer term - with systemic changes. We want to mitigate the cost-of-living crises by working to establish volunteer-led local economies that are connected regionally & nationally.
- Helping to build local economies focused on secure access, resiliency and improving community cohesion & inclusion
- Volunteer opportunities that support & inspire but also offer free / heavily reduced access to food & essential items
- Standard boxes of organic fruit & veg and staples. People can also create their own order - tailored to their specific family needs.
- Volunteer run distribution network - having Collection Points all over England. We also offer a Home Delivery service to the people that need it.
Nature Restoration & Climate Change
- Coordinating local groups with plans to launch community hubs & nature-friendly farms and support individuals that run climate-friendly businesses
- Help individuals & families launch permaculture inspired home gardens
- Help groups launch local nature-friendly farms (food forests, market gardens & agroforestry projects) that produce healthy food & boost local biodiversity.
- Preparing for & protecting against the impacts of any change in climate by launching lots of community “farms” that regenerate nature, sequester carbon, focus on water management (droughts & heavy storms) & build local food systems
- The groups we’re creating & coordinating encourage nature positive activity & collaboration in the local community. We’re connecting people of all ages, backgrounds & abilities to one another - all focused on this important work
Plan & Target
Funds will allow us to expand into more communities as the demand is huge. This will increase revenue & will allow us to offer more paid contracts to core volunteers and offer us organisational stability & resiliency.
- This project will launch a number of local Community Hubs in priority locations - acting as food hubs, packing & warehousing facilities, pop-up retail / local farmers market, volunteer meetups, community services & educational events / workshops
- Creating a network of local food growers & producers and suppliers of essential items
- Educational events / workshops that will inspire people on how to contribute to these new systems
- We’re going to help more local groups launch Community Farms & other growing projects
We’re Looking for £30,000 to Expand & Develop Our Project
- £1,680 - Room hire at the Agricultural Business Centre - for packing, community hub, volunteer meetups & educational events
- £2,020 - launch pilot Community growing project - Farmacy Market Garden (lease quarter acre land from a local farmer, legal costs & some equipment)
- £23,000 - staff costs related to 4 X new roles:
- Volunteer Coordinator
- Community Hub Coordinator (Local Groups & Producers)
- Distribution Network Coordinator
- Marketing Coordinator
- £500 - extra IT costs
- £2,800 - marketing & events