Geneva Lakes Produce Rebuild

My name is Abigail Koster-Mack, this is my family's farm. My entire family, Scott Koster (dad), Jacqueline Koster (mom), brothers (Jordan and Corban), sisters (Magdalene and Priscilla) and I, along with our spouses, dedicate our own parts of our lives to help the farm continue to grow despite the challenges around every turn being a family farm in today's world. But specifically, my dad and brothers have dedicated their lives to building and growing the farm. Two days ago it all came crashing down from a terrible fire. The structure that caught fire was the main building of the farm. Attached to it was the office and a greenhouse with many plants started from seed. We lost all three structures but were able to recover many plants from the greenhouse that were salvageable, (see photos). My dad built that building from scratch when he first purchased the farm over 30 years ago to start his dream of creating his own farm, his own legacy.

This fundraising page was started by one of the farmers, Tylor, who is their right-hand man and a true part of our family. Tylor has been working with the farm for over a decade. Scott Koster is the beneficiary. Tylor graciously started this GoFundMe because he knows my family wouldn't ask for help on their own, especially of monetary value. Here is Tylor's message:

"Hi, my name is Tylor Schallert. I have worked for Geneva Lakes Produce for many years. The family has always been great to me. Even in my hardest times with addiction they never lost hope in me. This farm is a big part of my life and I have faith that we will not only overcome this but that we will come out of it stronger than ever. To be honest it's going to take a lot of help. Insurance won't be enough to cover everything. Our mechanic shop burned down, along with every tool that has been accumulated for the past 30+ years. Everything is gone, including forklifts, a tractor and all of the thousands of spare parts that we have been building up since day 1. Thankfully, the bulk of our plants, tractors, trucks, seed and other tractor equipment is undamaged. We will continue to work as hard as we can to get up and running to continue to do what we do, which is feeding our community. Throughout the season, we serve several thousand families per week and donate thousands of pounds of produce to our local food pantries, that's every week! Even if it's not money, supporting our business by attending our Farmer's Markets or joining our CSA Program is more important now than ever.

We have a month until our market season begins, with no coolers, washing/sorting equipment, storage crates, no ez-ups tents, tables, scales, and so much more. We have a lot of gaps to fill. We will have the produce, however, most of the detail items are lost and we could use your help. We have to act quickly to be ready for the beginning of the market season.

This family truly is amazing, and we could use all the help we could get. I truly thank you for any time, prayers or contributions you may be able to help with!"

Our family has received countless prayers and offers to help in many ways, which we are sincerely grateful for. My dad and brothers have been incredibly hesitant to ask for help, especially of monetary value during this hard time, but if you know them personally, you know they are the first to help someone in need. So, as the daughter and sister of three incredibly strong-willed, hard-working men, I am asking for help along with Tylor. Many have asked what items can be purchased to help and it's hard to make a list, especially this early on. This GoFundMe is a great alternative and will be used to not only rebuild the structure but will go into purchasing items Tylor listed as we find we need them as the season is quickly approaching.

We are so blessed to be surrounded by such a thoughtful community willing to help a family farm in need. If you can't donate money, we understand. If your heart feels led, please pray for a fast recovery and an abundant season!

For more information, please see our facebook page, Geneva Lakes Produce LLC and the post from 03/30/23 where we go into more detail and thank our local fire departments.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Geneva Lakes Produce

https://www.genevalakesproduce.com/