Farm Aid Inc.
12/10/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 12/10/2024 16:27
Sharing Messages of Thanks to Farm Aid’s Hotline Team
Make A Gift to Farm Aid Today
We all deserve a better kind of agriculture - one that values farmers, eaters, the environment and the communities we share. Your support ensures that Farm Aid will continue to serve family farmers and ranchers, and together we can make a real difference.
Donate to Farm Aid
Donate to Farm Aid
Now that much of the country's harvest season comes to an end and we turn to a season of thanks and of giving, we thought we'd take a moment to share some of the sentiments we've heard from farmers that may sound different than many of those that we typically share. Doing so gives us an opportunity to thank some important people on our small team, as well as share the impact of their work which itself is a direct result of the incredible support from people like you.
The 1-800-FARM-AID Hotline was originally set up as a way for people around the country to donate whatever they could to support family farmers when the first Farm Aid was broadcast nearly forty years ago, back in 1985. But after the concert aired, the phones kept ringing. These calls were coming from farmers looking for assistance and few resources to turn to. Sometimes it was financial or legal support, and sometimes it was emotional support - even just an ear to listen to the many stresses farm families were enduring. We've been answering that hotline ever since and it has become a lifeline for farmers in many ways.
Farm Aid now has six hotline operators spread across the country in different time zones, as well as a Spanish speaking operator. Most of these compassionate colleagues are able to connect deeply with farmers because they come from agricultural backgrounds themselves. This gives them first-hand knowledge to provide each caller with the resources they may need, whether it be initiating an emergency grant from Farm Aid following a disaster or other event to help put food on the table, buy medicine or keep the lights on at home, provide information on regenerative ag practices, or direct them to other long-term solutions that help to keep farmers on the land. Often, they refer to our comprehensive Farmer Resource Network and the longstanding partnerships we've established with organizations - many of whom we fund through our grant program - in almost every state.
Notes from Farmers
There's no better way to thank these members of our Farmer Services team than by sharing some of the actual words sent by the farmers they've spoken with (see below). These sentiments underscore the value of this critical work, which we can only continue through the support of our donors. So we thank each and every one of them too!
"It's just so nice to be able to talk to someone. Thank you all for that you do. It means a lot."
"Thank you so much for all your heroic work. The property is saved - kept in the family! It is appreciated beyond measure!"
"Your response was timely, thorough, compassionate and radical. Thank you for taking the time and offering some very useful resources, and for maintaining a human touch amidst a world of electronics. I greatly appreciate your reply and will certainly direct others towards your helpful and human service."
"Thank you so much for replying with such abundant information. It was more than I could have asked for. A compass full of directions and possibilities, is what you have gifted me. I'm truly grateful for your efforts and time."
"We can't thank you enough for the information. We sincerely appreciate your professionalism and kindness. You seemed to understand every issue I mentioned and then you addressed it."
And finally, we recently received this note from a farmer we assisted through our Family Farm Disaster Fund following hurricanes Milton and Helene:
"Thank you for checking in on us. We are doing better every day. We are clearing our landslide and getting our terraces rebuilt. We have sourced block and compost through grants and donations. We appreciate you looking out for us and the Farm Aid check we got helped us buy groceries last month. Your organization is wonderful. We hope the rest of the year is kinder to farmers and you get to have a lovely holiday season with the ones you love."
The critical work of our incredible hotline team - through the support of donors like you - has real and powerful impact, not just for the family farmers that call, but for our communities and our food system.
Please, if you can, make a donation right now so that we can continue to answer their calls.