Originally published December 18 2005
Organic farm hopes to succeed as a non-profit organization
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The owners of Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain have proposed plans to make a nonprofit organization of their venture, to fulfill the community-oriented tasks they established for their farm six years ago.
When they opened Urban Oaks Organic Farm in 1999, Tony Norris and Michael Kandefer had ambitious plans.
In addition to opening a nonprofit produce business, the partners hoped to provide community development opportunities that would help revitalize the blighted North-Oak neighborhood.
Late last month, Norris announced plans to form a nonprofit foundation to carry out the community development activities that he and Kandefer envisioned six years ago.
The paperwork is expected to be completed sometime in early 2006, Norris said in a letter sent to James Wyskiewicz, an alderman and member of the North-Oak Neighborhood Revitalization Zone board.
``As some of you may remember, Urban Oaks Organic Farm was formed in April 1999 to foster community development and create a sustainable urban organic farm,'' Norris wrote in the Nov. 22 letter.
The farm, at 225 Oak St., operates a thriving wholesale and retail organic farming operation out of the former Sandelli Greenhouses Inc.
Customers include Wild Oats natural foods market in West Hartford and a long list of restaurants around the state.
Hiring neighborhood youths and providing job training are among the community development activities the farm hopes to offer, Norris said.
Others include working with students at nearby Smalley Academy, beautification projects and organizing educational activities, he said.
The foundation is not the type that allocates money, but one that generates activity, said Norris, who is scheduled to make a presentation to the NRZ in February.
Wyskiewicz, who chairs the NRZ's economic development committee, welcomed the news.
``They have really established themselves as [an organization] committed to hiring local kids and portraying New Britain in a positive light,'' he said Thursday.
``Obviously, with my dual interests on the city council and the NRZ, I would love to see that area revitalized.
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