Rebuilding hope from the ground up
Donations would help ECHO
The ECHO Global Farm may have been hit hard by a hurricane for the second time in five years, but the international organization is working hard to get back on its feet and continue with its mission of fostering food sustainability and serving the planet by making sure the poorest of people have food to eat.
The farm on Durrance Road in North Fort Myers has reopened and has several big events coming up with the first being the “Get into Gardening” workshop event set for Saturday, Oct. 22.
Danielle Flood, communications director, said they are working to get the farm back together in the wake of Hurricane Ian so they can host those events.
“There is some damage to a couple of roofs but we had new roofs put up in the last couple years and they held up well,” Flood said of damage incurred as a result of Hurricane Ian. “The trees are worse than they were after Irma. Of course, the winds were stronger.”
There was a lot of tree damage, some of the gardens were shredded and they are trying to get rid of downed limbs to make ECHO safer, Flood said.
The offices are running at limited capacity as the farm is being restored. Trees are being replanted and vegetation cleared out.
The ECHO bookstore and nursery were set to open. The farm’s seed bank was not damaged during the storm because of propane tanks used to keep them dry.
“Our staff had flooding and roof damage and various challenges, but we’re trying to regroup to serve our community and our global team,” Flood said.
ECHO’s new president and CEO Abram Bicksler has asked the community to provide financial and physical support so the not-for-profit can repair its damages.
“The hurricane and its aftermath have also led us to realize that there are some longer-term resilience measures that we need to put in place to help us weather future storms,” Bicksler said. “We press on in hope and confidence and I am grateful for your continued prayers and support for ECHO and our community.”
ECHO will decide whether the farm will be able to host an event to help provide food for the poor, which would be big for the community.
They also have to be ready for when the ECHO International Conference returns to the farm from Nov. 15 to 17 after several years online. They succeeded after Irma hit in 2017, and used that experience to educate delegates worldwide then.
“We’re aware these things happen around the world and this makes us more capable to serve those struggling with typhoons or floods,” Flood said. “Our team is experienced in saving trees. When a tree goes down, we can get a tree back up with a bulldozer and stake it.”
ECHO has been trying to save trees around the farm and Flood said she expects them to survive, albeit with much fewer limbs, and thrive.
To give to ECHO, go to echonet.org.
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