DAIRY FARM FOR SOUP KITCHENS IN GRAČANICA
Donation protected
We successfully finished this campaign - the farm is completed and ready to receive animals. Thank you all who supported us!!!
We are on to the next step. Please help us fill it with heifers. Donate to our Christmas 2020 fundraiser on this link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/cows-for-soup-kitchens-in-gracanica
ORGANIZER: The Serbian American Foundation for Kosovo (SAFKOS) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded by Djordje and Karolina Popovic with support from parishioners of St George Serbian Orthodox Church from San Diego, CA. Our goal is to engage the Serbian American community to support projects that improve the living conditions and enable growth of Serbian communities in Kosovo.
BENEFICIARY: Soup kitchens of the Orthodox Diocese of Ras and Prizren (Narodne kuhinje Eparhije Raško-Prizrenske). Free meals served by the soup kitchens are the main source of nutrition for more than 2,000 people in Serbian communities of central and eastern Kosovo (about 2% of the total Serbian population in Kosovo).
WHAT PROBLEMS DO THEY FACE? For many years the soup kitchens depended entirely on charitable donations from the Serbian government agencies, humanitarian organizations, companies and private citizens. The dependency of their operations on outside entities makes them, however, very vulnerable in the current political and socioeconomic environment. On one hand, the self-proclaimed Kosovo authorities may at any point arbitrarily curtail the inflow of goods from Serbia (as they did in the ongoing tariff war). On the other hand, the donors’ willingness and ability to help are continually challenged by impoverishment, corruption of the local elites, deficit of community activism among Serbs, and scarcity of information about life in Kosovo in the media. Despite the venerable efforts of institutional and individual donors, the soup kitchens have experienced numerous supply chain disruptions and shortages of food and materials.
HOW WILL THE FARM HELP? The Diocese of Ras and Prizren has undertaken efforts to increase sustainability of the soup kitchen system through construction of a network of farms and food processing facilities at church-owned properties around the Serbian settlements in Kosovo. Over the past four years several such objects have been erected in eastern Kosovo: an 80-acre vegetable farm near Klokot, a beef cattle farm (40 animals) and a hog farm (200 animals) in Novo Brdo, and a 200-animal goat farm with a small dairy plant in Prekovce. These facilities now provide sufficient amounts of meat and vegetables to the soup kitchens, and employ dozens of local Serbs. The plan is to build upon these successes and expand the network of food production and processing facilities to central Kosovo.
WHY IN GRAČANICA? The Diocese of Ras and Prizren owns 200 acres of farmland on the outskirts of the village of Gračanica. Currently, this vast land is utilized at a subsistence level, i.e. wheat and corn are dry-cultivated for sale as grain (at a meager price), and the small revenue serves to support activities in the monastery of Gračanica. The envisioned farm complex is planned to include a dairy farm (20 cows), a sheep farm (500 animals), grain mills, silos, and an animal-feed production line. Upon completion, the facilities in Gračanica will permanently engage about 10 people, and produce ample quantities of meat and milk for use in the soup kitchens and for sale at the local markets.
WHAT IS OUR SPECIFIC AIM? To finance construction of the dairy farm on the complex. The object is sized for 20 adult cows, with a total indoor area of 247m2 and an adjacent corral of 220m2. The farm’s annual output is estimated at 130,000 liters of milk, or about 1 glass per diem for each of the soup kitchens’ 2,000 beneficiaries in Kosovo.
WHEN ARE THE FUNDS NEEDED? By March/April 2020, depending on the local weather conditions. The works on the farm complex began in spring of 2019, and have so far encompassed erection of a fence around the entire estate, and construction of the office building, two auxiliary objects (for the mill and animal-feed production), four silos and a storage space for hay bales. The construction of the dairy farm is planned in 2020.
HOW MUCH IS NEEDED? The total cost (labor + materials) has been estimated at approximately $55,000, with the following break-down:
Terrain works (e.g. excavations) $8,500
Foundation (concrete) works $14,900
Masonry (inner & outer walls) $8,100
Roof (metal construction w/panels) $9,500
Carpentry & indoor works $7,000
Electrical installations $3,000
Water/plumbing installations $4,000
HOW WILL THE FUNDS RAISED IN THIS CAMPAIGN BE SPENT? The $25,000 we aim to raise will allow the construction to begin, and will fully cover the cost of the terrain and foundation works. The Diocese (or the contractor selected by them) will be asked to provide detailed cost breakdown (labor and materials) for each specific phase of the works, along with the receipts or other applicable documents. The payments will be made to the Diocese, in a step-by-step fashion, upon verified completion of specified tasks. We will ask for photographs to document the progress, and will publish those as updates on this page.
HOW WILL WE VERIFY THE MONEY WAS WELL SPENT? We will film the construction location before any works begin, and then after each phase of the work (e.g. leveling, excavations, concrete foundation, etc.). The film and photographs will be published on this page and in social media.
WHY ARE YOU ONLY RAISING $25,000 - WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORKS? Because of the huge mistrust in the Serbian American community, which, I anticipate, might make it difficult to raise even this much. However, there is no limit as to how long the campaign shall last or how much we are allowed to raise through GoFundMe. If the response to the campaign is much greater than expected, the campaign will continue until we raise $55,000 or as long as donations are coming.
WHAT IF YOU RAISE SOME "ODD" AMOUNT (i.e. less than $25,000, or more than $25 but less than $55,000)? We will be paying for the construction works sequentially - phase by phase, task by task - until we have run out of funds or the building has been completed. And we will document the progress on the construction phases/tasks that we have paid for.
IS MY DONATION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE? Yes (in the United States) - on February 24, 2020 the Serbian American Foundation for Kosovo was determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to qualify as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Per the attached letter (see Update #4), our status extends back in time until July 10, 2019 - which means all donations made for this campaign are tax deductible. Please contact us if you want to receive a certificate of your donation.
I'D LIKE TO HELP, BUT I DON'T TRUST YOU. HOW CAN I DO IT? You may donate to Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church in San Diego.
Option A - You may send your checks to the following address:
St George Serbian Orthodox Church
3025 Denver Street
San Diego, CA 92117
Make them payable to St George SOC, San Diego), and please make a note your donation is for this specific cause.
Option B - You can make an online donation through PayPal. To do so:
1. Go to the web page of our church: St. George SOC
2. Click on the "Donate Now" button in the lower right portion of the page. You will be taken to a PayPal site. You may donate using a debit
or credit card, or from your PayPal account.
3. Make a note "For Gracanica" under "Add special instructions to the Seller". Without this note or an email we cannot determine that you
donated in support of this specific cause.
CONTACT
Email [email redacted] or [email redacted]
We are on to the next step. Please help us fill it with heifers. Donate to our Christmas 2020 fundraiser on this link:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/cows-for-soup-kitchens-in-gracanica
ORGANIZER: The Serbian American Foundation for Kosovo (SAFKOS) is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded by Djordje and Karolina Popovic with support from parishioners of St George Serbian Orthodox Church from San Diego, CA. Our goal is to engage the Serbian American community to support projects that improve the living conditions and enable growth of Serbian communities in Kosovo.
BENEFICIARY: Soup kitchens of the Orthodox Diocese of Ras and Prizren (Narodne kuhinje Eparhije Raško-Prizrenske). Free meals served by the soup kitchens are the main source of nutrition for more than 2,000 people in Serbian communities of central and eastern Kosovo (about 2% of the total Serbian population in Kosovo).
WHAT PROBLEMS DO THEY FACE? For many years the soup kitchens depended entirely on charitable donations from the Serbian government agencies, humanitarian organizations, companies and private citizens. The dependency of their operations on outside entities makes them, however, very vulnerable in the current political and socioeconomic environment. On one hand, the self-proclaimed Kosovo authorities may at any point arbitrarily curtail the inflow of goods from Serbia (as they did in the ongoing tariff war). On the other hand, the donors’ willingness and ability to help are continually challenged by impoverishment, corruption of the local elites, deficit of community activism among Serbs, and scarcity of information about life in Kosovo in the media. Despite the venerable efforts of institutional and individual donors, the soup kitchens have experienced numerous supply chain disruptions and shortages of food and materials.
HOW WILL THE FARM HELP? The Diocese of Ras and Prizren has undertaken efforts to increase sustainability of the soup kitchen system through construction of a network of farms and food processing facilities at church-owned properties around the Serbian settlements in Kosovo. Over the past four years several such objects have been erected in eastern Kosovo: an 80-acre vegetable farm near Klokot, a beef cattle farm (40 animals) and a hog farm (200 animals) in Novo Brdo, and a 200-animal goat farm with a small dairy plant in Prekovce. These facilities now provide sufficient amounts of meat and vegetables to the soup kitchens, and employ dozens of local Serbs. The plan is to build upon these successes and expand the network of food production and processing facilities to central Kosovo.
WHY IN GRAČANICA? The Diocese of Ras and Prizren owns 200 acres of farmland on the outskirts of the village of Gračanica. Currently, this vast land is utilized at a subsistence level, i.e. wheat and corn are dry-cultivated for sale as grain (at a meager price), and the small revenue serves to support activities in the monastery of Gračanica. The envisioned farm complex is planned to include a dairy farm (20 cows), a sheep farm (500 animals), grain mills, silos, and an animal-feed production line. Upon completion, the facilities in Gračanica will permanently engage about 10 people, and produce ample quantities of meat and milk for use in the soup kitchens and for sale at the local markets.
WHAT IS OUR SPECIFIC AIM? To finance construction of the dairy farm on the complex. The object is sized for 20 adult cows, with a total indoor area of 247m2 and an adjacent corral of 220m2. The farm’s annual output is estimated at 130,000 liters of milk, or about 1 glass per diem for each of the soup kitchens’ 2,000 beneficiaries in Kosovo.
WHEN ARE THE FUNDS NEEDED? By March/April 2020, depending on the local weather conditions. The works on the farm complex began in spring of 2019, and have so far encompassed erection of a fence around the entire estate, and construction of the office building, two auxiliary objects (for the mill and animal-feed production), four silos and a storage space for hay bales. The construction of the dairy farm is planned in 2020.
HOW MUCH IS NEEDED? The total cost (labor + materials) has been estimated at approximately $55,000, with the following break-down:
Terrain works (e.g. excavations) $8,500
Foundation (concrete) works $14,900
Masonry (inner & outer walls) $8,100
Roof (metal construction w/panels) $9,500
Carpentry & indoor works $7,000
Electrical installations $3,000
Water/plumbing installations $4,000
HOW WILL THE FUNDS RAISED IN THIS CAMPAIGN BE SPENT? The $25,000 we aim to raise will allow the construction to begin, and will fully cover the cost of the terrain and foundation works. The Diocese (or the contractor selected by them) will be asked to provide detailed cost breakdown (labor and materials) for each specific phase of the works, along with the receipts or other applicable documents. The payments will be made to the Diocese, in a step-by-step fashion, upon verified completion of specified tasks. We will ask for photographs to document the progress, and will publish those as updates on this page.
HOW WILL WE VERIFY THE MONEY WAS WELL SPENT? We will film the construction location before any works begin, and then after each phase of the work (e.g. leveling, excavations, concrete foundation, etc.). The film and photographs will be published on this page and in social media.
WHY ARE YOU ONLY RAISING $25,000 - WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE WORKS? Because of the huge mistrust in the Serbian American community, which, I anticipate, might make it difficult to raise even this much. However, there is no limit as to how long the campaign shall last or how much we are allowed to raise through GoFundMe. If the response to the campaign is much greater than expected, the campaign will continue until we raise $55,000 or as long as donations are coming.
WHAT IF YOU RAISE SOME "ODD" AMOUNT (i.e. less than $25,000, or more than $25 but less than $55,000)? We will be paying for the construction works sequentially - phase by phase, task by task - until we have run out of funds or the building has been completed. And we will document the progress on the construction phases/tasks that we have paid for.
IS MY DONATION TAX-DEDUCTIBLE? Yes (in the United States) - on February 24, 2020 the Serbian American Foundation for Kosovo was determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to qualify as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Per the attached letter (see Update #4), our status extends back in time until July 10, 2019 - which means all donations made for this campaign are tax deductible. Please contact us if you want to receive a certificate of your donation.
I'D LIKE TO HELP, BUT I DON'T TRUST YOU. HOW CAN I DO IT? You may donate to Saint George Serbian Orthodox Church in San Diego.
Option A - You may send your checks to the following address:
St George Serbian Orthodox Church
3025 Denver Street
San Diego, CA 92117
Make them payable to St George SOC, San Diego), and please make a note your donation is for this specific cause.
Option B - You can make an online donation through PayPal. To do so:
1. Go to the web page of our church: St. George SOC
2. Click on the "Donate Now" button in the lower right portion of the page. You will be taken to a PayPal site. You may donate using a debit
or credit card, or from your PayPal account.
3. Make a note "For Gracanica" under "Add special instructions to the Seller". Without this note or an email we cannot determine that you
donated in support of this specific cause.
CONTACT
Email [email redacted] or [email redacted]
Organizer
Djordje Popovic
Organizer
San Diego, CA