WYRZ.org 98.9 WYRZ – The Voice of Hendricks County
INDIANAPOLIS – Residents and visitors of the Garfield Park neighborhood will soon enjoy a brand new community kitchen and destination chapel/chicken coop, thanks to a recently launched crowdfunding campaign. The campaign is sponsored by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and offered through the crowdfunding platform developed by Patronicity. The campaign is led by Big Car Collaborative, as a follow-up to their successful campaign from last year.
“One of the best ways to bring people together is with food,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch. “In addition to a community kitchen, Sunny Side Up will provide the perfect meeting place for community gatherings, educational opportunities and other events. We are pleased to support Big Car Colloborative on their next placemaking endeavor.”
If the campaign reaches its $50,000 goal by October 19th, “Sunny Side Up: Building Community Through Food and Friendly Fowls” will receive a matching grant of $50,000 from IHCDA’s CreatINg Places program.
Click here for project details and to donate.
The funding raised during this campaign will support an expansion of the existing kitchen and serving space at Big Car’s community space, the Tube Factory. This expansion will allow Big Car to offer community meals and free public programs about food, nutrition, and urban ecology and agriculture, in conjunction with their demonstration food garden. The campaign will also support the creation of a unique space that is a combination of chapel and chicken coop. This space will allow people to gather for everything from a small wedding ceremony or meditation session, to lessons on raising urban birds.
“Food brings people together and builds community. The same is very true for urban agriculture,” said Jim Walker, CEO and lead artist for Big Car Collaborative. “We’re so excited to host even more neighbors and visitors who’ll connect with each other over meals made from ingredients like eggs from our hens, honey from our hives, and vegetables from our garden. We’re also thrilled to be weaving art and artists — like the team designing and building the one-of-a-kind Chicken Chapel of Love — into the mix with food, socializing and learning new things.”
Since the CreatINg Places program began last fall, projects have raised in excess of $1,330,000 in public funds and an additional $1,100,000 in matching IHCDA funds.
The CreatINg Places program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with 501c3 or 501c4 status) and Local Units of Government are eligible to apply.
Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should they successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.
