Duck Pond Donations Request: If you knew our family, you would know we go to every length to avoid asking for ‘help’. It’s not that we feel as though we don’t deserve it (or need it)- but that we feel our role here as a Farm is to keep the focus on helping others. It’s never been about personal gain, or making money- it’s been about giving endangered animals a chance to be acknowledged and giving our community (especially our youth) an education about things maybe they’d otherwise never know about.
That being said, over the years we have found ourselves in a tricky position. Without giving too much personal information, members of our family have entered several hardships regarding their health that have greatly set back our goals as a farm. As you may know, we are a family operation- so when one of us ‘goes down’ or is struggling, we have to pull from within to make ends meet. The reality is we simply do not have the funds to bring on full time help to ease the strain put on our family, which means we do not have the funds to expand other aspects of the farm that would improve the quality of life of our animals.
One project we have been trying to raise money for over the years is a duck pond. As you know, Dalby Farm is home to over a dozen water fowl- many of which are considered rare and/or endangered. Currently they reside in a large spacial pen that is in essence, the perfect yard for them- but it’s missing one very crucial element- a pond.
While over the years we have gotten away with kiddie pools so they could still bathe and swim but it’s never felt right or fair.
We have been somewhat successful in raising money, but have only gotten halfway there. Between the cost of digging, removing the many rocks, and pouring concrete/designing the pond itself- we expect the cost to be around $3k. At this time, I believe we are about 1/3rd of the way there. Ideally we would be reaching out to various contractors with the means & needed equipment to provide their services as a donation or at a discounted rate, but like many other goals here on the farm- it is never the first priority and often falls toward the bottom of the list. We are responsible for so much every day that certain fundraising, marketing & expansion efforts have to come last- especially when we’re also dealing with family health concerns. Years have gone by and we’ve moved the fund meter up very little.
It’s safe to say when we first started out as Dalby Farm 13+ years ago, we didn’t have the same slate of troubles. We were younger, the economy hadn’t been nearly as bad, we were able to have jobs on the side… everything was different. Even technology/traditional marketing has changed everything for us (in good and bad ways!) All of a sudden we had to get a little more tech saavy than any of us were comfortable with. Keeping up with the times has been quite the task! But we committed to something that we knew would be hard- and even with our personal curveballs we still believe we will one day hit our stride, we’ll just need some of your help in getting there.
So if you’re feeling generous- it would be incredibly kind of you to consider making a donation to our Duck Pond Fundraiser, or even making a small purchase from our Country Store. Every purchase makes a huge difference- and every penny returns to the farm in one form or another. Those who contribute just may end up seeing their name engraved in the pond itself when it is finally completed.
Thank you in advance for supporting our farm, our family and our mission. We will never forget your generosity and kindness.
Duck Pond Donations benefit these babes and more!