Farm Fresh July 2021: Fully open! Serving the Homeless! Cohousing Community

Farm Fresh News - July 2021

In this issue:

The Farm opens - Fully!
Former Farmee Profile
Feeding the Homeless
Cohousing Communities

Cover crop in the Community Garden

Dear Friends,

Deborah and I are enjoying being home from our travels and reconnecting with our Tennessee Farm Family.

As part of our journey, Deborah and I led in-person dances for groups in and Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico. It has been so uplifting to be able to gather together once again and share sacred space with people in the Dances who share our vision for a just and peaceful world.

After being out west, coming home reminds us of how lucky we are to have this land of abundant water. People in the west live under a constant fear of fires, rising temperatures and draught. We saw that forests taken by fire decades ago will never return in our lifetime. We are so thankful for what we have here in Tennessee.

And we are reminded of the strength we have in family. The beauty of the land is like the loving hands that holds, nurtures, and weaves our community and connections to each other. As we look back over 50 years, we also look forward toward another 50, disappearing over the horizon.

I hope to see, hug and dance with you in person!

Peace,
Douglas

The Farm is currently open to visitors!

"The Foundation Board of Directors has put out the word that the Farm is essentially fully open. COVID safety guidelines for both events and overnight guests remain at the sole discretion of the host. However, a number of the people offering overnight accommodations remain closed to visitors. To see a list of which accommodations are accepting guests, click here.

Note: While The Farm Store is open, at this time it is requiring those who enter to wear a mask.

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Former Farmee Profile

Brenda (left) and Deborah, bundled up for a May afternoon mountain hike! Right, Brenda is also a painter and sculpter.

On our trip west, Deborah and I stopped in to visit our friend and former Farm member Brenda Beely, who lives in the Nyland Cohousing Community outside Boulder, Colorado (more on this below). I led dances for her areas's first in-person Dances of Universal Peace, and she shared with us her story of serving the homeless. It was a powerful reminder that we all have the power to give from the heart, no matter where we are.

From Brenda:
What's it like to bring food to the Homeless?

Someone asked me what is it like bringing food to the homeless. On many levels it has changed my life dramatically. It has opened my heart. It has helped me get over the sadness and helplessness I was feeling around the economic inequities in America. And instead of being frustrated I now feel purposeful. And of course, the homeless benefit, which is the real purpose of all this. And the amount of gratitude that is exchanged is beautiful!

So here's my story:
At first I went out with a friend twice a week, and before long, I was delivering food everyday. Next, I found a crew of volunteers.....soup and sandwich makers. Donations started pouring in.

In the mornings I meditate and pray/ask for one thing for the homeless. One day I prayed for 3 more people to help distribute food. My phone immediately rang with one woman who said she would deliver food 3 times that week! I never know how these prayers will be answered, but they always are!

I prayed for more "Light Workers" and found two by the tent encampments. I approached one man and asked if he was hungry. It turned out he wasn't homeless and we chatted for a long time. He said he grew up in Bangladesh when it was the poorest country in the world, but had lived in the richest country in the world, the USA, for the past 25 years, and couldn't understand how we, as a nation, could not solve poverty. His heart was breaking for the homeless. Then another young woman walked up to us and asked if she could help in anyway. I invited her to help me hand out food. It turns out she was homeless and had prayed for a way to be of use.

The homeless thanked me. Their smiles while they were eating chicken soup were as delicious as the soup. It was a day that nourished all. The food is so welcomed, but so is the time we share as humans. Even a small conversation with the homeless is so valued.

Now in addition to food, our distributions have grown to include things like sox, beautiful hand knit scarves and hats, hand warmers, and more.

I've found that my favorite time of day is when I head down to the circle to meet our small group of volunteers. There are often new faces who have come to donate food and dry goods for the first time. We hang out and get to know each other. Everyone is in a good frame of mind. That is what occurs when you are serving others. It makes you feel good. Purposeful.

So I've renamed the circle. It's now called the "Circle of Love." The love is palpable even though some of the volunteers are going through their own hard times.

I am definitely a newbie to the problem of homelessness. I started with the intention of just serving hot soup. Now I want to get educated and do more. All I know is that I will just keep approaching every day with an open heart. The rest will unfold.

Cohousing Communities

Deborah and I had the opportunity to visit two cohousing communities during our travels. For many people, they offer one of the easiest ways to experience life in community, with straight forward organization for home ownership combined with co-ownership of land and shared spaces. Although these types of cohousing communities often require a sizable investment to join, this is not always the case. Read below to learn about a new online course by the Fellowship of Intentional Communities on how to create cohousing that works for you.

Nyland Cohousing Community, just outside Boulder, CO https://www.nylandcohousing.org/
Homes are built close together, facing shared walkways, encouraging residents to mix it up and get to know each other.
This allows more land to be available for things like community gardens and natural areas for wildlife and outdoor activities.

Nyland Cohousing Community Commons House, with a beautiful kitchen and dining area, and open rooms for sharing things like live performances, meetings, and play space for children.

Delaware Street Commons, Lawrence, KS https://delawarestreetcommons.org/
I was pleased to see a number of young families with small children living here.

Creating an Affordable Cohousing Community: 5-Week Online Course | Starts July 16

“Cohousing tends to conjure up images of a happy but homogeneous group of communitarians—middle-class, highly educated, and culturally similar. This picture may feel out of reach, or even distasteful, for many people who don’t have significant financial resources, whether due to choice or circumstance…

The fact is that this picture represents only one segment of the cohousing movement—the segment that gets the most press. There are many cohousing or cohousing-inspired communities that are partially or totally populated by single parents, working-class singles or families, seniors with fixed incomes, and students. Affordable housing complexes, even successful homeless shelters, have been built using cohousing principles.” — Charles Durrett, course instructor

The Fellowship of Intentional Communities, the umbrella organization of intentional communities, is offering an online course to guide those wanting to create a new cohousing community.

How to find and purchase a site, and what sites to avoid
Learn how to get zoning approvals from government officials
Determine a viable qualified group for your project
About reusing dilapidated buildings
Sustainability and environmentally responsible land use
Aspects of sharing in cohousing
Renters and owners agreements and relationships
Balancing economic disparity
Options for financing the community, including government funding, grant funding, mortgage brokers, etc.
Click here to learn more!

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Peace,

Douglas

Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com