Congratulations to Allen and Kate Acker of Acker's Acres, the latest recipient in BCDI's Neighbors Investing In Neighbors Loan/Investment Program! This loan, funded directly by individual BCDI members who serve as investors, was fulfilled in a new record time -- less than twenty-four hours!

Acker’s Acres is a world-ranked, recreational disc golf course located on the Dingley Road in Bowdoinham. This is a multi-generational, family business, which has been in operation for nearly twenty years. Allen and Kate, who have taken over the business from Allen’s parents, have their sights on expansion. The money from this loan will be used for specific renovation costs as part of their business growth and "refresh". This low-interest loan will be paid back by Allen and Kate over the next two years.

Yesterday, we signed the loan documents and disbursed the check. Although the temperature was in the single digits and the wind had its own ideas on disbursement as it attempted to send the loan documents flying around Mailly Waterfront Park, the sun was shining and there were smiles under our masks!

Farmer Community Conversation

Merrymeeting Food Council (MFC), Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative (BCDI), and University of Maine Cooperative Extension will host a Farmer Community Conversation on Wednesday, January 19 from 1-2:30pm. BCDI hosted these meetings annually until 2019 and we are excited to work together to bring this gathering back! This meeting is an informal opportunity for members of the farming community to share successes, challenges, and identify opportunities for collaboration. We look forward to a conversation about how needs for land, investment, infrastructure, farm labor, distribution, and more have continued to shift during the pandemic. The meeting will be held virtually, so please contact BCDI (bcdi.maine@gmail.com) or MFC (merrymeetingfc@gmail.com) for the link to join the meeting or for questions or further information

Welcome, Wayne!

We are pleased to welcome Wayne Sanford to our stellar group of Board Members! BCDI would not exist without their commitment to the organization, and for them we are grateful!

Wayne Sanford has been a Bowdoinham resident since 1977, when he took an information technology job at BIW. As the chairperson of the Solid Waste Committee, he was deeply involved in establishing the town’s recycling program. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Midcoast Maine, the Maine Lacrosse Officials Association, and US Lacrosse. He is a recent member of the Bowdoinham Guild of Artisans.

Welcome aboard, Wayne!

BCDI SECOND ANNUAL MAY MEMBERSHIP MONTH

We are pleased to ring in our second annual Membership Month this May.  Last year we welcomed several new individual members and business members, and received many membership renewals.  As a small nonprofit your membership support is critical to our work!  If you have been a member in the past please consider continuing your support of this organization this month by heading to our membership page to renew (www.bcdimaine.org/membership) or by popping a check in the post to: 

BCDI

P.O. Box 343 

Bowdoinham, ME 04008 

Likewise, we are always eager to welcome new members (membership begins at just $10!) --  please reach out (bcdi.maine@gmail.com), peruse our website to learn what it means to become a member (www.bcdimaine.org), and consider becoming part of BCDI today. 

YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL!

BCDI Farmland Inventory LAUNCH!

BCDI is excited to share that we have launched a new website for linking farmland owners and aspiring farmers in the town of Bowdoinham. The website is part of a larger Farmland Inventory Project aiming to help map the availability of farmland in town (current use, use restrictions, etc.) and identify and support landowners interested in making their land available for farming. 

Photo by Brendan Bullock at Apple Creek Farm

If landowners want to make their property available for use by a farmer, then with this new website, they are able to set-up their own property listing with the support of Land For Good.  Likewise, farm seekers are invited to create a profile where they can detail the type of farmland they are seeking.  Our goal is to make this searchable database a match-making site, connecting needs while preserving farmland.  Maine Farmland Trust’s program, Farm Link, connects farmland owners with farmers seeking farm land. Our project complements the Farm Link program by offering a hyper-local point of connection for land owners and land seekers. We expect our Farmland Inventory to serve as a model that could be used by other farming communities across the state. Check out our Farmland Inventory web page for more details! https://www.bcdimaine.org/farmland-inventory and https://farmland.bcdimaine.org/

Farmland succession, and use of all farmland in Bowdoinham, creates immediate opportunities and challenges. If we are to maintain the character of our town, continue to be a provider of healthy food, and a steward of the environment, it is essential that we help provide landowners the tools necessary to manage the future of their land. The Farmland Inventory Project aims to do this by facilitating the connections of landowners and farmers. By increasing the land base in production, we support the creation of new jobs, increase access to healthy local food, and strengthen the health of our local economy.

BCDI Covid-19 Community Response Grant Recipients Announced!

Thanks to the extremely generous support of you, our members and friends in the community, BCDI was able to award $8,370.00 in grants during our third and final round of funding for our BCDI Covid-19 Community Response Grants!

In one year, we have been able to award $27,370.00 to people in the Bowdoinham community whose work supports BCDI’s core mission with a focus in increasing access to food, improving health and wellness, restoring community connections, and/or otherwise meeting the basic needs of the Bowdoinham community.

Grant funding is not something BCDI has ever done before. Again, it is thanks to supporters like the Elmina B Sewall Foundation, Abbagadassett Foundation, and other individuals in Bowdoinham and our surrounding communities that we have been able to offer this Community Response Grant Program. Check out our website for a list of people who have generously contributed to this work: https://www.bcdimaine.org/covid19-grants

Round Three Grant Recipients:

Watersong Music: https://watersongmusic.org/

Earl Bigelow, owner of Watersong Music, has a student population of musicians in the Bowdoinham Community.  When Covid hit and it no longer became safe to hold lessons in-person, Earl needed to pivot to remote music classes and online music sharing.  Outdated computer equipment, however, made it nearly impossible to do this.  Funds from this program will be used to support the purchase of a new desktop computer, allowing for online music lessons, an upgrade in studio technology, and a continued connection with the arts for Bowdoinham residents during this difficult time.

Sagadahoc Recycling Co.: 

David Berry, founder of the Sagadahoc Recycling Co., has been involved in solid waste issues since the mid 1980s.  Funds from this program will be used to support improvements to the Recycling Barn, which will allow residents to deposit source-separated materials from the outside, thereby safely distancing the staff inside from the public. In addition, any surplus grant money will be used to create a space which will also be safely isolated from staff to be used as a gift shop/clothing exchange/library area.

Brian Hobart/Hobart Farm:

More people have turned to growing their own vegetables and further supporting the products of our local Bowdoinham and area farmers during the pandemic.  It has become apparent to Brian that he can use his family farm’s composting operation to benefit local gardeners and farmers with compost that is rich and locally-produced.  Funds from this program will support some of the costs of labor and raw materials in order to produce and make this compost available.  This labor will also make it possible to accept brush from the community to be run through a chipper without charging for the service.  

Scratch Farm: https://scratchfarmme.com/

Julia and Andy McLeod, owners of Scratch Farm, have been developing their on-farm commercial kitchen in order to increase their production capacity and efficiency, as well as to address the COVID-19 concerns of renting commercial kitchen space.  Funds from this program will support the purchase of a commercial grade tomato and applesauce miller.  As they shift their business practices due to COVID, this piece of machinery will allow them to boost their production capacity,  thereby increasing year-round access to healthy, organic food for Bowdoinham and surrounding communities.

Bowdoinham Farmers’ Market: https://www.bowdoinham.com/bowdoinham-farmers-market

The seasoned vendors of the Bowdoinham Farmers’ Market know how to bring high quality products to customers of Bowdoinham and now have the added experience of providing this service safely during a pandemic. The Bowdoinham Farmers’ Market will use grant funds to continue implementing best practices according to guidance provided from state and federal health agencies and the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets. These practices include directing and educating customers on market location and procedures; promoting and facilitating SNAP purchases and pick up of pre-orders; and facilitating hygiene and physical distance among customers and vendors. Supporting the operation of the town’s farmers’ market, and promoting SNAP, is not only a way for everyone in the community to access safe food, it is also a treasured way to maintain our community’s social cohesion.  

Dandelion Spring Farm: www.Dandelionspringfarm.com

Due to Covid, last season Dandelion Spring Farm lost a significant percentage of their normal customer base.  In an effort to broaden their non-restaurant income base, funding from this program will be used to help offset the creation of a small booklet outlining how-to information and recipes that will be available for sale with their Certified Organic vegetable and herb seedlings.  Beth Schiller, owner of Dandelion Spring Farm, also plans to make these booklets available for Bowdoinham residents at Peary’s Community Garden, the Bowdoinham Public Library, and the Bowdoinham Food Pantry. 

Congratulations to all of the recipients from our grant program! We are honored to support your efforts and look forward to hearing about your accomplishments!

Apple Creek Farm Loan Payoff

Congratulations to Abby and Jake, owners of Apple Creek Farm, who have paid off their third BCDI Neighbors Investing In Neighbors loan… and a full twenty-six months early, too! 

Apple Creek Farm is a Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) Certified Organic diversified livestock farm, established in Bowdoinham in 1985 (they are hiring for the 2021 season, so be sure to check them out!).  This loan request was for funds that have been used for infrastructure investments and for larger equipment. 

https://applecreekfarm.me/

Photo Credit: Brendan Bullock

BCDI’s Loan Program is one of our Organization’s cornerstones. “Neighbors Investing In Neighbors”, aims to meet local needs with local capital.  The fund’s investment opportunities have provided well over $100,000 to support businesses in Bowdoinham. 

While the Loan Program is coordinated by BCDI, the funds come directly from individual BCDI members who serve as “investors.” Community members who are interested in helping to invest in the growth and development of local businesses in Bowdoinham can provide financial support toward the loan provided to the business. In other words, residents who choose to support the local businesses seeking loan financing will lend their personal money to the business. BCDI’s role is to coordinate and administer the process between the business seeking the loan and the numerous individual investors who help to fund a loan in full. 

Our model truly is “neighbors investing in neighbors”!

Need a loan for your business?!  Check out our website for more details, or reach out at bcdi.maine@gmail.com

https://www.bcdimaine.org/loan-investment

Informational Solar Energy Session

In light of Maine’s recent report, “Maine Won’t Wait”, which lays out a four-year plan for climate action, now is a great time to learn more about solar energy’s role in our homes, communities, and state!

Guests Sam Zuckerman of Maine Solar Solutions and John Deans of Emerald Builders will fill us in on the latest advancements in solar energy uses.

When: Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 6:30pm

Where: via ZOOM! Here is the join link: https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/83673883534

This meeting is being hosted by the Bowdoinham Public Library, Bowdoinham’s Community Development Advisory Committee, and us!

Welcome, Tidewater Tree Care !

It's a wonderful thing to receive support from businesses in our community! Thank you to Tidewater Tree Care for supporting our mission, and becoming a new BCDI Business Member!

Tis the season of blustery days and inclement weather, and we all know with that comes lots of tree-care needs! From lot clearing, to tree trimming, to roof shoveling, and much more, Tidewater Tree Care can do it all!

Tidewater Tree Care is a full-service tree company offering pruning and a variety of affordable tree services in a preservative, low-impact manner. Their team approaches all tree care jobs with safety and honesty, while meeting the wants and needs of every one of their clients as best as they can. Located in Bowdoinham, they provide quality tree service to customers in Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Lincoln, and Cumberland counties.

Check out Tidewater Tree Care on FB or visit their website at https://tidewatertreecare.com/

(207) 737-9365

tidewatertreeservice@gmail.com

Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday: Closed

SAVE THE DATE: BCDI 2020 Annual Meeting

Thanks to you, despite a difficult month all around, we had a successful first May Membership Month. We welcomed lots of new members from the community and received continued backing from those that have supported BCDI’s mission through the years. Gosh, we’re just plain grateful for you! Thank you!

Announcing Round Two BCDI's COVID-19 Community Response Grant Recipients!

Dear Members and Friends of the Bowdoinham Community:

Round two recipients of BCDI's COVID-19 Community Response Grants have been decided! Thanks to the extremely generous support of you, our members and friends in the community, BCDI was able to award $12,000 in grants during this second round!  In just over one month, we have awarded $19,000 to folks in the Bowdoinham community whose work supports BCDI’s core mission with a focus in increasing access to food, improving the health and safety, and/or otherwise meeting the basic needs of the Bowdoinham community.

We plan to offer a third round of grant funding this summer. Individuals wishing to contribute to this effort can do so at: https://www.bcdimaine.org/covid19-grants. BCDI will use 100% of funds donated to award these round three COVID-19 Community Response grants.

Without further ado, here are the round two BCDI COVID-19 Community Response Grants recipients:

Fairwinds Farm:  For almost twenty years, residents of Bowdoinham and surrounding communities have been able to pick fresh berries at Fairwinds Farm.  Fairwinds Farm will use the grant funds to ensure that customers can continue to do this safely.  Funds will be used toward tables, tents, contactless credit card machines, hand washing stations, masks, gloves and hand sanitizer. 

Blue Bell Farm: Blue Bell farm has seen an increase in demand at its farmstand.  Grant funds will be used toward the purchase of another refrigerator as well as additional hand sanitizer and packaging to ensure customers can obtain food safely.

Maggie’s Farm at Mulberry Creek:  Maggie’s Farm has seen a significant increase in traffic to the farm. Grant funds will be used to make improvements to the farm stand and parking areas to ensure customers can access food safely.

Shearlings Salon:  Julie Booty has been a licensed cosmetologist for 30 years.  She is responding to the current crisis by reopening a one chair salon in her home.  Grant funds will be used to support this transition, to purchase necessary protective equipment, and to help with the additional cleaning and sanitation costs necessary to provide Bowdoinham residents of all ages a safe place to get a haircut.

Bowdoinham Farmers’ Market:  The Bowdoinham Farmers’ Market will use grant funds to implement best practices according to guidance from the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets.  Grant funds will be used for signage, tables and coolers for preorders, hand sanitizer, and touch free screen readers, as well as to support a Veggie Valet position to manage traffic flow and deliver pre-orders to customers safely.

Whatley Farm:  Whatley Farm has seen a significant increase in traffic and an interest in on farm purchases.  Grant funds will be used to convert an existing woodshed to a small self-service farm stand.  The finished farm stand will have a glass door, a refrigerator and freezer, and new signage to facilitate safe and contactless access to food. 

Harvest Tide Organics: Harvest Tide has seen a significant increase in traffic at their farmstand and will use the funds to make improvements to respond to the increased demand.  Harvest Tide is also providing space for some other area farms and businesses to sell their products.  Grant funds will be used to increase cold storage capacity to ensure that a wider selection of food is available in sufficient quantities to meet the increased demand.

Stonecipher Farm: The farmstand at Stonecipher Farm has seen significantly increased traffic and has become an outlet for multiple area farms and businesses to sell their products.  Grant funds will be used to continue to improve the farm stand, specifically to increase cold storage capacity to respond to the increased demand.

Scape Goat Garlic Farm:  Scape Goat Garlic Farm will use the grant funds to help defray additional costs associated with providing culinary garlic and seed garlic to the community.  Funds will be used for bags, gloves, sanitizing supplies, and other increased costs associated with delivering garlic safely.

Bowdoinham Public Library: The Bowdoinham Public Library will use the grant funds to help facilitate access to books in the current climate.  Funds will support four different StoryWalk book projects on the Bowdoinham waterfront trail throughout the summer.  Funds will also be used to support an expanded summer reading program and to build the Bowdoinham Book Trailer, which will be used to increase access to books for people of all ages.

Thank you again for your support and for continuing to inspire us. We are grateful for our strong, steadfast community.  Our eyes are raised to the horizon -- we hope yours are, too.  Be well, friends!  

Best wishes, 

BCDI Board of Directors & BCDI Program Manager

Round Two!

The Bowdoinham Community Development Initiative (BCDI) is again inviting applications for community response grants due to the unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thanks to the generosity of the local community and our BCDI members - including a challenge grant of $5,000 from Wayne and Lynne Sanford, a grant from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation, and support from the Abbagadassett Foundation, BCDI is able to offer a second round of COVID-19 Community Response Grants. 

These cash grants are intended for businesses, organizations, non-profits, and individuals working in direct coordination with organizations or non-profits. Most awards will be for $1,000 or less, but requests of up to $2,500 will be considered for projects likely to have a significant impact. Applicants must outline how the grant funds will be used to increase access to food, improve the health and safety, and/or otherwise meet the basic needs of the Bowdoinham community.

Applications for the second round of community response grants are due May 15, 2020.

Review our FAQs page for more information: https://www.bcdimaine.org/covid-19-grant-program-faq And if you have questions, please email bcdi.maine@gmail.com

APPLY HERE!! https://www.bcdimaine.org/covid19-grants

SLOW MONEY MAINE Highlights The Work Of BCDI's Community Response Grants

Thank you Slow Money Maine for highlighting the work we are doing with our COVID-19 Community Response Grants in your spring newsletter!

“… Amidst tragic losses, there have been stirring examples of courage and commitment to aligned values and actions for the greater good of our humanity, economy, and environment.

We’re departing from our usual newsletter format to provide snapshots from every county in Maine that highlight the creativity and resilience of our local food movement. We encourage everyone to maintain healthful practices and urge consumers to support local food businesses through this crisis and beyond so that we can have the building blocks for new food systems ready to meet needs in our ever-changing world.”

https://slowmoneymaine.com/2020/04/27/spring/

New BCDI Business Member: Ancient Green Farm

We are thrilled to kick off our BCDI May Membership month with a new BCDI Business Member -- welcome to the family, Ancient Green Farm!

Ancient Green Farm is small family farm specializing in growing hemp and cannabis for the medical community, as well as a variety of produce and medicinal herbs. Ancient Green Farm stewards 40 acres of land in Bowdoinham where they use regenerative farming practices. Their farm and products are DEM Pure certified which is a worldwide beyond organic certification. Visit their website www.ancientgreenfarm.com to learn more about their farm and to order shipments of their legal hemp CBD products.

Follow them on Instagram @ancientgreenfarm or email ancientgreenfarm@gmail.com to get in touch!

https://www.ancientgreenfarm.com

BCDI COVID-19 Community Response Grant Program Round One Recipients Announced

BCDI is pleased to announce the recipients of the first round of BCDI COVID-19 Community Response Grants.  There were many strong applicants and difficult decisions had to be made. But due to the very generous support of BCDI members Wayne and Lynn Sanford, BCDI has already raised $5,000 toward a second round of COVID-19 Community Response grants.  So anyone who missed out on the first round of funding is encouraged to reapply.  

Individuals wishing to contribute to this effort can do so from now until Giving Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at: https://www.bcdimaine.org/covid19-grants. BCDI will use 100% of funds donated through that date to offer a second round of COVID-19 Community Response grants in May.

During the first round of the BCDI COVID-19 Community Response Grants, $7,000 was awarded as follows:

Apple Creek Farm: Apple Creek Farm will use the grant funds to accelerate plans to open a farm store given the need to buy food locally. They plan to offer their own products and collaborate with other farms in the community to offer Bowdoinham residents a safe place to get food.

Bowdoinham Food Pantry: The Bowdoinham Food Pantry has already seen a significant increase in demand. The grant will support a temporary increase in hours for the coordinator during the pandemic state of emergency and will help cover increased expenses such as gloves, sanitizer, masks, and other items needed for the safety of all.

East of Eden Flower Farm: East of Eden Flower Farm has had to shift its business strategy in light of the current crisis and is in need of short term assistance as a result. Grant funds will be used toward the farm's delivery van, which will in turn be used to make door-to-door deliveries for the Bowdoinham Public Library Annual Plant Sale.

Left Field Farm: Left Field Farm is working to find alternative ways to get people vegetable and herb seedlings and will use grant funds to create an online system for ordering and to cover costs to manage this safely.

Peary’s Community Garden: Peary's Garden is a community garden in Bowdoinham. Given the increased interest in growing our own food, the grant funds will be used to significantly expand available garden space.  Because of this expansion of tillable area, any plots that are available after the Garden’s regular gardeners have signed up and paid their fee, will be available at no cost, to any gardener who is willing to plant and maintain a plot for the benefit of the Bowdoinham Food Pantry.

Six River Farm: Six River Farm has opened a self serve farm stand in response to the current crisis. The grant will support improvements to the farm stand, specifically covering cooler rental and the purchase of tents and signage.

Stonecipher Farm: Stonecipher Farm has generally sold exclusively to restaurants in the Portland area. Given the current state of emergency, they have shifted to selling food directly on their farm. The grant funds will support improvements to the new farm stand.  The new farm stand has already created an opportunity to provide free vegetables, bagged as “seconds”, for anyone who needs them. In a short time, Stonecipher Farm has already moved hundreds of pounds of free “seconds” into the Bowdoinham community.

Tender Soles Farm: Tender Soles Farm is seeking support in continuing to provide safe access to food for the community. Grant funds will be used to defray some of the cost of current pandemic best practices including setting up an online ordering system and the cost of gloves, bags, and other materials to handle food safely.