Star Route Farm 2025 Food Sovereignty Fund

Hello Friends of Star Route Farm and CAA!

As you might imagine, all of us here at Catskills Agrarian Alliance, The 607 CSA, and Star Route Farm have been processing the chaotic onslaught of recent executive orders targeting organizations and work like ours.

As massive federal budget cuts undermine public health, education, and food access, we feel an even more acute responsibility to meet the needs of our communities. We are all witnessing the conflagration of corporate greed, increasing global suffering and poverty, the loss of gender-affirming care, exacerbated food and housing insecurity, ongoing complicity in genocides, and devastating environmental disasters. It is not good.

We need to face these challenges together.

We refuse to submit to unjust systems that prioritize profit over people and the planet.

The livelihoods of small farmers are being directly threatened, as is our mission to prioritize human and environmental well-being. Business as usual will not meet the challenges ahead as we face the termination of various funding channels. We thank you for investing in our collective work as friends, allies, and past supporters.

Here’s what we’re fundraising for this year:

New Roots Community Farm/Garden

Last year we partnered with International Rescue Committee, New Roots Community Farm and New Roots Garden, Kelly Street Garden, Choy Commons, Serra Vida Farm (from West Branch Commons), East Brook Community Farm and Essex Food Hub to donate food via a SNAP Enabled CSA, regular mutual aid distributions and the augmentation of community markets. The project reached a minimum of 300 families twice a week, and was a great success, beloved by all involved. This year, the bottom fell out of funding and so we’re hoping to fundraise with our partners up to $150,000 to cover food purchases and distribution expenses.

Colectivo Intercultural Transgrediendo

We are organizing with FIG NYC to support the community of Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, a trans-Latine-led organization based in Jackson Heights Queens, primarily serving trans women and trans femime people including many currently or previously doing sex work. As we witness violent ICE raids against migrant communities across the country, we are showing up the way we know how – providing nourishment for our people. Your donation will be used to purchase vegetables from Choy Commons farms and Serra Vida Farm to supply FIG’s Food Security Program which includes weekly prepared meals and weekly free CSA delivery to TRANSgrediendo’s community center.

Our fundraising goal for TRANSgrediendo is $30,000.

Albany Free Food Fridge

Last year we started to donate food to Albany Free Food Fridges when we were able to. We did not have funding for this burgeoning relationship and we are looking to fund regular distributions with them and possibly other community based organizations in the region. Albany Free Food Fridge is a pivotal food access resource for communities experiencing food insecurity in the Capital Region by providing fruit, vegetables and ready to eat meals through anonymous and direct food access points. Our fundraising goal for mutual aid work in the Capital Region that includes working with Albany Free Food Fridge is $10,000.

If you would like your donation to be tax-deductible, please donate directly through Catskills Agrarian Alliance.