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 Outdated computer equipment, however, made it nearly impossible to do this.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!