Big things are happening at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Farm and with the Gaudiumetspes22 blog! There are several new ventures in the works for the new year on both fronts and so we thought it was time to launch another fundraiser since very few of these things will be possible without generous donations. And just a quick reminder that the blog and the farm are both part of the same nonprofit corporation called “Dorothy Day Catholic Worker” so your donations are tax deductible. You can donate directly via the donate button on the blog or you can send a check via the mail. Just be sure that the check is made out to the “Dorothy Day Catholic Worker”. Our mailing address is: 793 Halowich Road Harveys Lake, PA 18618

So let us go through some of the new ventures as well as a listing of our standard financial needs for the farm and the blog!

I will begin with a listing of some of the new ventures we are hoping to pursue:

First, we are looking to open a new food pantry called the “Dorothy Day Food Pantry” in Scranton in conjunction with our parish and the Providence (pro-life) pregnancy center run by fellow parishioner Jessica Freyne.  This is a huge new venture and a really important part of what we are trying to accomplish with the farm.  The corporal and spiritual works of mercy are central to our mission and the food pantry is something that is very much needed.  We have discovered through bitter experience that the food pantries near our farm simply do not want our eggs, milk and fresh produce.  They therefore contribute to the nutritional deficit and the food desert experienced by the poor who are forced to live on cheap, processed foods. Our goal is to feed the poor with high quality and fresh foods and to do this we need to open our own food pantry.  And doing it in conjunction with the crisis pregnancy center and our parish is something we are looking forward to as part of our parish’s ongoing outreach to the Providence neighborhood.

The Providence neighborhood in Scranton is one of the poorest in all of Pennsylvania and there is currently no food pantry in the area of any kind.  We will be operating the pantry out of the large garage attached to the pregnancy center.  However, we need to buy new shelving, paint, a refrigerator and chest freezer.  

Estimated startup costs:  $3,000

Second, and related to the food pantry, we need to increase our egg production which in turn requires us to build a much larger chicken coop.  We would like to build a coop large enough to house around 60 chickens allowing us to collect around 35 dozen eggs a week.  

Estimated cost of building materials:  $3500

Third, we are in desperate need of a new trailer for our tractor. This is an essential part of the cost as well for the new chicken coop since we need it to haul the building materials to the field where the chickens are located.  We need a trailer as well for all kinds of things on the farm, such as hauling hay bales out to our sheep and goats.  

Cost:  $3500

Fourth, we have greatly increased our dairy goat herd (made possible by last year’s fundraiser for the new goat milking shed!) but now we need to increase the area of the pasture where they are housed.  This means adding about 700 feet of new fencing.  

Estimate cost of fencing and fence posts:  $1500

Fifth, we are in dire need of a new road that leads from the main gate of our pasture out to the buildings that house our sheep and goats.  The area has become a total mud pit that is almost impossible to drive through even with my tractor.  It is quickly becoming a major liability and soon will be completely unusable.  We are in discussions with a local contractor to remediate the situation and build a new road for us.  

Estimated cost:  $7500

Sixth, we are looking to launch twice yearly “Gaudiumetspes22 retreats” that will be held at a local retreat center near us.  These retreats will be an opportunity to come together and discuss Ressourcement/Communio theology. The retreats will involve formal lectures but also plenty of time for prayer, Mass, and confession.  There will also be ample time for conversation and leisurely discussion of theological ideas in the evenings. Unknown costs at this time, but I wanted to mention the retreats since they will also be a huge part of what we want to do moving forward. The coming together of the spirituality and theology of Dorothy Day with the Ressourcement/Communio theology of folks like St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI is central to our vision.  And many people have inquired about the possibility of us hosting such retreats near our farm.  More details will be forthcoming.  

These are all new and exciting ventures, but we still also have some standard yearly expenses that are difficult for us to meet on our own.  

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First, the blog costs around $200 a month in various fees for the platforms I use.  That translates into an annual expense of $2400.

I went into debt to purchase a new desktop computer, which is a technological requirement for doing the podcasts and writing things for the blog. My old computer finally broke down and was no longer working on any level.  The new desktop (an iMac) cost $2500.

I am also looking to do more livestreaming and to upgrade the video camera for my podcasts.  A lot of people have inquired about me doing livestreaming and it is something I will be looking into.  I also want to look into getting a good transcript service for the podcasts.  So many of the current ones are just not very accurate and the better ones, though not expensive, do cost a bit.  All of that (new camera and transcription service) looks to be around $600.

I have made a conscious decision, born out of a Catholic Worker vision, to keep the blog free and open to the public.  I have refused to go the paywall route and consider it part of my ministry to keep it free.  However, that means I do need help from voluntary donations to keep this thing going.  We really and truly have very little money and the blog costs more than I can afford.  So keeping it going does require donations.  

Second, there are expenses associated with the farm.  We need about $2400 a year for chicken, sheep and goat grain/feed. And our need for hay is constant with bales of hay around here going for around $5 a bail. And we need about 350 bales a year.  That amounts to around $1750.  The animals are a huge part of what we do here and the eggs from the chickens and the milk from the goats will be going (hopefully) to the food pantry.  We also need about $500 every year for the produce we grow.  

All of this adds up to $29,150!  Whatever folks are able to contribute is greatly appreciated, no matter how big or small the donation.  

I really hate asking for money.  For some reason it grates.  Is it pride or something else?  I don’t know. But I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I have never, ever had very much money in my life and so I know how difficult it is for people to make ends meet in the world today. Especially if you have children.  And so I am reluctant to ask people to part with their hard earned money just to support what we are doing here. But we do believe passionately in what we are doing, both with the farm and the blog, which are directly linked to one another.  

Therefore, we do ask most humbly for your support.  And if you cannot support us financially, please, please support us with your prayers!  We need all of the prayers we can get.

Blessings!

Larry and Carrie

Dorothy Day, Pray for us