Help Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center Rebuild!

UPDATED—

Hart-to-Hart Farm & Education Center, a family farm owned and operated by Linda and Doug Hartkopf in Albion ME, has been in operation since 1987. Hart-2-Hart Farm is a small scale organic dairy farm (milking about 60 cows), and they have run a farm-based day camp for 25 years, reaching thousands of kids.

On Monday December 18, 2023, a huge storm with 70+ mph gusts of wind tore the roof off the milk house and collapsed the barn. Thankfully, no cows were injured. However, the damage caused them to lose several days of milk, and now jeopardizes their whole operation. The cows have to be moved to other farms (so Hart-2-Hart Farm loses that income), and they face months of reconstruction before their milking operation is viable again.

I have been friends with Linda Hartkopf since we were 8 years old. Some of you have attended camp or have kids who benefited from that amazing program. You know Linda and Doug through the local community, the farming community, their work in the Belfast schools or Waldo County Regional High School), through their kids, hockey teams, 4H, Scouts.

updated 12/23/2023

Thank you!!!

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your generosity!

In the past days, several dumpsters have been filled with debris, and metal sections of the roof have been crushed and moved away from the functioning areas of the farm. The demolished roof of the milk house has been cleaned up. The horse stable has been towed from the driveway and righted onto its footing.

On Saturday, friends are coming for a work day to pick up roofing paper, nails, tin and boards that the bigger equipment can’t pick up. And hopefully the calf barn can be repaired.

Hart-to-Hart Farm is milking, but without a roof on their milk house. Only a quarter of the cows in the holding area are under a roof, and the remaining cows and milking operations are open to the elements. As the weather gets colder, they will not be able to function like this; and without milking, Hart-to-Hart has no income.

The funds raised through this campaign will hopefully put a roof over the milk house and the holding area for the cows, and pay for a temporary shelter for the “dry” cows (not being milked because they’re pregnant), until the barns can be permanently rebuilt.

Two local news stations put a spotlight on Hart-to-Hart farms.

https://wgme.com/news/local/hart-to-hart-farm-albion-battles-devastation-severe-storm-rips-off-barn-roof

https://www.wabi.tv/2023/12/22/local-farm-owners-deal-with-major-losses-aftermath-mondays-storm/

Any and all contributions are enormously appreciated. This will help Hart-to-Hart ensure the health and well-being of their herd, and continue to rebuild!

Please help them recover after this devastating event, giving back to them for all they have given us. Every little bit will help to get their barn rebuilt and get them back on their feet. Please donate as much or as little as you feel comfortable with or just leave a kind word of support in these tough times!

You can also make your donation to the ShineOnCass Foundation, which is a longtime supporter of  the educational mission of Hart-to-Hart Farm. All donations must be noted “Emergency Relief for Hart-to-Hart Farm.”

Donations can be made online at  https://www.shineoncass.org/ or mailed to 64 Heritage Rd., Oakland ME 04963.