Mark your calendar! Halloween bash Oct. 28th at Thistledown Farm
Welcome to the Thistledown Farm blog! I wanted to use this first blog as an opportunity to tell you about a special event we’re hosting at Thistledown Farm. On October 28th, Southern Alamance Family Empowerment (SAFE) Food Ministry will be holding their BBQ Fundraiser and Halloween Costume Party at our barn! I’d also like to give you a little background on what SAFE is, and how we came to be involved with this great non-profit organization.
IN THE BEGINNING…
We started our farm with chickens. At first we kept about a dozen of them, a small brood that free ranged the property during the day and perched in a small hand-built coop at night. This was long before the land resembled anything like a farm.
Nevertheless, we knew we wanted to be food producers. The hens were a good place to start in animal husbandry because of their relatively easy maintenance and their daily offerings of nutrient rich eggs. It didn’t take long, however, to discover that our hens were producing many more eggs than we could consume as a family.
We started giving them to friends, and soon, as the brood became a flock and the flock grew and grew, we found ourselves with more eggs than we could even store. It was then that we learned about a nearby food pantry called Southern Alamance Family Empowerment (SAFE) Food Ministry.
WHAT IS SAFE?
SAFE’s mission statement: Empowering individuals and strengthening families in Southern Alamance County and beyond by respectfully and compassionately providing food assistance, developing relationships, identifying needs beyond food, and seeking solutions to those needs, while witnessing to the love of Jesus Christ.
Every year, through donations and fundraiser events, SAFE Food Ministry feeds thousands of families in our area struggling with food insecurity. These are families that might otherwise go hungry during parts of the year when resources are hard to come by—a very real problem that many Americans can’t imagine exists in their community. Thanks to SAFE, someone is bringing not only awareness but a solution.
FRIENDS IN THE COMMUNITY
SAFE was an obvious place for us to share our wealth of chicken eggs in those early days, and we began to drop off dozens at a time at their colorfully painted facility, located just up the road from us on Highway 87, any time that we could. Because of their presence in the community, it was not uncommon for us to run into SAFE representatives at events in Saxapahaw and to really see the positive impact they have on the community as a whole.
That's why we jumped at the opportunity to help our friends at SAFE to raise money for such a good cause.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
On Saturday, October 28, 2017, Thistledown Farm is the place to be for the SAFE Food Ministry BBQ Fundraiser and Halloween Costume Party! From 6pm-8pm SAFE will be serving up BBQ, classic sides and iced tea with your suggested donation of $10. We’ll have candy, games, face painting and fun for the whole family. From 8pm-11pm, things will get a little spooky with a family friendly Halloween costume party. Prizes will be awarded for the best kids costume and for the best adult costume, so bring your AAAAGH! game. We’ll continue to collect your generous donations throughout the evening, and all proceeds will go to SAFE Food Ministry to help end hunger in Alamance County!
Our friends Paul and Kim Neubauer will also be joining us with their 10th Annual Halloween Party for their first time ever at Thistledown. We expect to see a lot of great costumes and a lot of great support for the community!
Come on out and help feed those in need. We are very excited to see so many new and familiar faces (so if your costume involves a mask, make sure you give us a little face time). It will be a Halloween event to remember! Learn about more ways to help SAFE Food Ministry by checking them out online at www.safealamance.org.
