Help Geneva Lakes Farm Recover From Fire
Blaze caused major losses for local farmers market standby
Farm Hit by Fire Needs Community Support
It’s great that the things Local Food Forum covers are mostly positive, but sometimes we have to share some bad news too.
Geneva Lakes Produce — a name familiar to farmers market shoppers in Logan Square, Evanston and elsewhere — suffered a devastating building fire this past week that destroyed much of its equipment, just as the Burlington, Wisconsin farm is preparing to serve its farmers market and CSA customers.
The farm needs our community’s support, either by donating to its GoFundMe page or by buying its products at farmers markets or via their CSA.
Quoting from their GoFundMe page:
“Hi, my name is Tylor Schallert. I have worked for Geneva Lakes Produce for many years. The family has always been great to me. Even in my hardest times with addiction they never lost hope in me.
“This farm is a big part of my life and I have faith that we will not only overcome this but that we will come out of it stronger than ever. To be honest it's going to take a lot of help.
“Throughout the season, we serve several thousand families per week and donate thousands of pounds of produce to our local food pantries, that's every week! Even if it's not money, supporting our business by attending our Farmer's Markets or joining our CSA Program is more important now than ever.
“We have a month until our market season begins, with no coolers, washing/sorting equipment, storage crates, no ez-ups tents, tables, scales, and so much more. We have a lot of gaps to fill. We will have the produce; however, most of the detail items are lost and we could use your help.”
Click the first button below to make a donation, and the second to learn about Geneva Lakes’ CSA.
I started Local Food Forum to provide a platform for our local food community, and part of that responsibility is informing readers about farms facing critical needs. Over these two years I’ve published about farms that suffered losses from flooding, fire and drought.
If you hear of a farm facing an emergency, please let me know, and thanks to Colleen McNichols for providing the heads up about the Geneva Lakes fire.