A Farming Hope Timeline

What we’ve done since starting the model locally in the San Francisco Bay Area in June 2016, inspired by the first Farming Hope farm in El Salvador, Central America.

JUNE 2016

• Founded Farming Hope locally, at the Stanford Design School/FEED Collaborative summer incubator

JULY

• Tested weekly work shift at Stanford Educational Farm

AUGUST

• Formally partnered with Bountiful Churchyards for nonprofit status
• Held first ticketed pop up meal, working with seven homeless employees

SEPTEMBER

• Helped launch weekly work day at cactus garden in Saratoga
• Accepted to the Stanford Venture Studio at the Business School

OCTOBER

• Formally added cooking to our employment model with our Palo Alto pop up series, thanks to Pam Chesavage

NOVEMBER

• Sad about Trump, doubled down on our community-building focus, bringing diverse people together at the table and in the garden

DECEMBER

• Started gardening alongside student volunteers at the University of San Francisco

JANUARY 2017

• Launched our second city team, San Francisco, now employing six homeless individuals
• Started our six-month cohort model
• Partnered with Feastly to begin bi-weekly pop up dinners in San Francisco, earning revenue from ticket sales and feeding 40+ people

FEBRUARY

• Increased our total grant money raised to $92,000, thanks to a new grant from Wheat Ridge Ministries
• Hired a part-time Volunteer & Event coordinator, our third staff member Melody Lan

MARCH

• Launched weekly Farmers’ Market lunch stand in San Francisco
• Accepted to the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University
• Launched our Support Team model, to reward and include committed volunteers and monthly donors
• Started our advisory board (not legally accountable, but kindly advising)