summer 2020 newsletter

Intro / COVID:
Hello, Farm Friends! Can you believe summer is upon us? This season of sunshine is different from most, with our typical summertime activities not on our calendars due to COVID-19 and ongoing social distancing efforts. We urge you all to stay safe, stay home, and stay healthy. Having said that, Filomena Farms hopes to bring some summertime joy to your inboxes with our Summer 2020 edition of Farm Mail.

Board Updates:
2020 has highlighted the urgent need for humans to treat each other with kindness, compassion, respect, and dignity. Filomena Farms is saddened that our society needs such a reminder. Our Board, Founding Farmers, and Friends of the Farm include folks from many different backgrounds and walks of life. We love each other and all of you equally and we thank you for your commitment to compassion, not only toward our animals but also toward each other.

As you’ve no doubt seen on our social media channels (if you don’t already follow us, please do!), we’re looking to expand our board. Specifically, we’re in search of a Social Media Director to manage our various accounts (FB, Insta, Tumblr, etc.), a Certified Estate Planner / Living Trust Attorney, and a handful of general board members for heightened input and accountability. If you’re interested in joining our mission to allocate grants and fund projects for animal rescues, email your resume and cover letter to contact@filomenafarms.org.

SUMMER GRANT CYCLE:
Exciting news, rescue friends: it’s time for Filomena Farms’s summer grant cycle! As you know, our goal is to help small and medium sized rescues by allocating grants that will allow them to continue their work without overextending their fundraising bandwidth. It’s a “let US help YOU” type of deal! It’s what we do at Filomena Farms. We think BIG and help SMALL. Our summer grant cycle OPENS for application submissions on Wednesday, July 15, 2020. If your organization would love an opportunity to receive one of our three grants, please make sure to submit your grant application by 11:59 PM on Sunday, August 2nd, 2020 in order to be eligible for consideration. We can’t wait to help support more of your amazing efforts!

FOSPICE ON THE FARM UPDATE:

Zadie: The last time we talked about our fospice girl, Zadie, she was doing great on the Farm with her Muffin’s Halo headgear! A major grooming session and some TLC made all the difference in the world for this old blind gal. Zadie experienced a huge boost in confidence that showed us how much zest for life she still has, so much so, in fact, that we’ve made a super exciting decision: Zadie is available for adoption! Her transformation since October, from an anxious blind dog full of fleas and mats to the spunky gal she is today, is inspiring. Zadie made it clear to us: she’s still got some road ahead of her! We think she’ll thrive in a loving home with either no dogs or with other super senior dogs like her. When we accept new dogs onto the Farm, we don’t expect them to leave. Zadie reminds us that life is full of surprises! If you’re looking for a sweet senior girl to keep you company, please email us at contact@filomenafarms.org.

Rolando: Many of you already know Rolando’s story, but here’s a quick recap for our new readers: this 5 year old sweetheart came to the Farm with cancer, underwent surgery to hopefully remove the cancer and recreate his affected anatomy, and is now convalescing on the Farm. Although we hoped the surgery would be completely curative, this doesn’t seem to be the case for Rolando. His skin initially improved and his energy picked up a bit, but it soon became obvious that Rolando is not in the clear. He has several new growths on his belly, which makes us wary that his cancer is still active. He’s having other difficulties, which may or may not be related to the cancer, such as facial paralysis and hind end weakening. We will keep him comfortable (no more surgeries or drastic measures to put him through) for as long as we can. As long as he is happy, eating, and comfortable, he can rest his head here on the Farm. Keep Farm Momma in your thoughts; Rolando is very dear to her and she so hoped to be able to give everyone a happy update. We’ve made a special video of Rolando’s journey so everyone can see how brave he’s been during such tremendous challenges. If you’re inspired by Rolando and would like to make a donation in his honor, please click here. As always, the donations we receive are put into our grant fund and awarded to deserving small rescue groups who need help continuing their work.

SUMMER HARVESTS:

​Honey from the Hood
We’ve got a bummer of an update on the bees at Filomena Farms: neither of our two hives survived the winter. The good news is that we started two new hives back in April, which are both now thriving! We hope to have honey by August. Strengthen your immune system against local allergens, help save our local honeybee population, AND contribute to our grant fund for local animal rescue groups - ALL by making a suggested $10 donation for Honey from the Hood! Local interest (San Jose) only, please.

Huevos from the Hood
At Filomena Farms, we’re all about doing big things in small ways. Our ideology revolves around all things local, sustainable, and compassionate. Here on the Farm, we try our very best to live every aspect of life with those values in mind. It should come as no surprise to you, Farm Friends, that our Farm also features a flourishing flock of feathered friends! We have 13 free roaming chicks growing fiendishly; we’re expecting eggs in about 2 months. So while you’re reserving your jar of Honey from the Hood, go ahead and snag a dozen Huevos from the Hood, as well! Local (San Jose) porch pick-up only, please, with a suggested $8 donation for one dozen (12) eggs.