The opinions expressed in these blogs are solely those of the people who wrote them, and do not represent the views of WPSU or Penn State University.

Local Food Journey

PASA meets fundraising goal for 2013-2014 fiscal year

Posted by Jamie Oberdick on 07/18 at 06:59 AM

Editor’s Note: The following is a letter sent out by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Executive Director Brian Snyder. This is wonderful news for an organization that is a big part of the local food community. The letter was sent July 3 but we figured it was never too late to share such good news!

Every once in a while we get to celebrate the unique character of the PASA community in a special way. This is one of those times.  Having been notified in early June of an impending budgetary shortfall and increased annual fundraising goal, our members and other supporters came through in a big way, contributing over $50,000 in the last month of our fiscal year! 

Because of this tremendous response, we were able to beat the revised annual fund goal of $337,500 set by our board of directors, finishing the year at over $342,000 with maybe a few checks still finding their way to us in the mail. What had seemed just a few weeks ago to be an impossible task was anything but that for an enthusiastic bunch of PASA-fists, and we are both moved and deeply grateful to recognize the kindness of all who contributed in any way, even if only through your positive thoughts. 

There is so much more at stake here than just meeting our financial goals. PASA has gained a reputation as an independent voice on behalf of sustainable farmers throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region for precisely the reason that the bulk of our funding comes from our members and program participants, not other corporate or governmental sources that may have a vested interest in the methods we teach or positions we may take on controversial issues.
In brief, your contributions give us our independence as an organization, and that in turn leads to your independence as farmers and eaters in freely making your production and consumption choices. Can you think of any better way to celebrate the Fourth of July this year than to revel in the advances our community is making toward a more sustainable food system?