Harvest of Hope Fund
What does a Wisconsin farm family do when they experience a financial crisis due to low commodity prices … escalating costs of fuel, fertilizer and other inputs … shifting global markets … a medical emergency … drought, flooding or other climatic conditions … or some combination of these factors? Many families have turned to the Harvest of Hope Fund. More than 1,740 gifts totaling over $1,240.000 have been granted to Wisconsin farm families since the fund was created in January 1986.
Program Partners
The Harvest of Hope fund is sponsored by the Madison Christian Community (MCC), an ecumenical partnership between Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA) and Community of Hope United Church of Christ (UCC). Other program partners include: the Wisconsin Conference of the United Church of Christ, the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Food, Faith and Farming Network.
Origins of the Fund
The snow was so deep in the winter of 1985-86, farmers couldn’t get into their fields with mechanical pickers to pick the corn. The MCC organized a “Pick and Glean” project; more than 250 people helped two Cottage Grove farmers hand-pick their corn over the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend so they had feed for their cattle. The “Pick and Glean” project sensitized church members to the struggles of farm families and led to the formation of the Harvest of Hope Fund.
Gifts Given
More than 1,740 gifts totaling over $1,240,000 have been sent to Wisconsin family farmers over our 33 year history to address a range of immediate problems: drought, floods, frost, power cut-offs, medical or veterinary bills, house or barn fires, machinery repairs, spring planting expenses, or to put food on the table or fuel in the tank. A note from recent recipients (flood victims) emphasizes the importance of the fund:
“Thank you so much for your financial gift. It will help us so much! We hope we can contribute to your fund in the near future and make a difference in other farm families’ lives like you did in ours.”
Contact Us
If you are a Wisconsin farm family needing financial help to meet emergency needs, please fill out and send the attached “Application Form” and “Financial Planning Statement” (both forms are needed to make a funding decision).
If you can contribute to the fund and help Wisconsin farm families in crisis, please send a check or contact us!
Our brochure and a more detailed history of the fund are available for those seeking more information on our work. Feel free to contact us for additional information at 608-836-1455 (ext. 8) or info@themcc.net.
Important Documents:
Harvest of Hope Financial Planning Statement
