Fundraiser Ideas for your Local School, Community Event or Organization

We've been giving a lot of thought lately to ways that we could help out the local schools, organizations and community events.  Recently I asked around about doughnut sales.  You see, when I lived here (in Ashland county) as a kid, one of the local schools would hold an annual doughnut sale.  Much of the proceeds went directly to the school.  We were saddened to hear that our local school district no longer offered their homemade doughnuts, but on occasion they sell Krispy Kreams.  Of course the doughnuts just aren't the same!

We've decided to offer the fundraiser opportunities with some of our goodies.  To keep it simple and affordable for everyone, we've compiled a list of items & prices that would be offered for fundraiser opportunities.

We will provide order forms, collection envelopes and brochures. Students/parents will be responsible for collecting the amount due and turning it in with their order.  A specific delivery date will be agreed upon with the school or event prior to the sale.

This is a great way to raise funds for your school, community activities or organization!  Plus, you get the benefits of eating food that is wholesome, free of artificial ingredients, 100% all natural and you're supporting a small business within your community.

To ensure proper freshness and a reasonable delivery date, we can only allow up to two grades to participate in the fundraiser at a time (example: 7th & 8th graders or 2nd & 3rd graders).

Cinnamon Roll Sales:
School/Event gets 25% of the gross sales.  Cinnamon rolls will be priced at $2.50/naked & $2.75/Frosted for individually wrapped rolls or container of 6 Naked for $14.00 or 6 frosted for $15.00.  Frosting choices will be Vanilla or Maple.

Cookie Sales:
School/Event gets 25% of the gross sales.  Our ample sized and delicious cookies will be sold individually at $1.00 each or a bag of 1/2 a dozen for $5.50.  Cookies come in your choice of Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip or Buckeye.  

Holiday Bread Sales:
School/Event gets 20% of the gross sales. Students are given a brochure the features some of our best selling artisan breads.  Folks will be able to choose from items such as; our Pinwheel dessert bread, our giant 2 pound loaf of Pizza Bread, the always in demand Old World Italian, French and Foccacia breads.

Interested in using our baked goods for your next fundraiser?  Contact Kandice Thompson via phone or email.  Phone: 419.908.9533  Email:  kandice@givingearth.com   Visit us online at anytime!  http://www.GivingEarth.com/

Sunny Autumn Days & Crisp Fall Nights

image by Kandice Thompson

The seasons are changing and Autumn is upon us.  There is much to do in Ashland and the neighboring villages.  The two middle weeks of October usually offer us the best views of the changing leaves and landscape.  It's a time of harvest, gathering and abundance.  We are thankful for the farmers that work the fields and the homesteaders that provide us with knowledge on storage and preserving.

Some local families and farms are setting up and preparing their pumpkin patch for the community to enjoy.  Many of these places offer a variety of family fun for a small amount of monetary funds.  You'll often find hayrides and corn mazes for all ages, straw bales and gourds in every shape and size and always some over friendly farm animals that want your undivided attention.  The smell of hot apple cider and cinnamon fill the air and some of the local ladies or bakeries have made pumpkin cookies and cake.  

This is the season that we don't usually rush and give so much fuss.  We spend time around fires and gathering with friends.  We find ourselves giving thanks for the good times and memories we are creating.  Fall brings a profound respect for nature.  We gaze in awe at the colors changing, the pumpkins galore, the final harvest of our gardens.  We say goodbye to summer and know the cold days of winter will soon be upon us.  And so we reflect on the year that has gone by so quick.

Autumn offers us many opportunities to keep us entertained.  With the cool nights usually comes clear skies, with clear skies comes a better view of the stars and moon.   There are many celestial events that take place in fall.  One big event being the Leonid Meteor Showers in mid November.  The Leonid showers are some of the best shooting stars to see.  Gathering your blankets and hot chocolate and make a special night with your family.  Try some moon viewing as well.  October offers a beautiful full moon, the harvest moon.  Locate as many planets as you can with your naked eye, then try it again with binoculars or a telescope.

Below is a list I have compiled of things that I would recommend doing this fall.  Some events are free, while others can be costly, depending on size, time or style of event.

~ Local Hay Rides, Pumpkin Patches & Family Fun ~

Badger's Great Pumpkin Patch - 9122 North Elyria Rd., West Salem - 419 846-3818; open through October; daily from 8am to dusk; offers hayrides, pumpkins, a petting zoo, a straw maze and much more. Local and seasonal vendors on weekends.  Good good & fun!  **You can find From Scratch ~ Old World Baked Goods there on the weekends, starting in October.

Ramseyer Farms - 3488 Akron Rd., Wooster; 330 264-0264; offers tractor-driven hayrides, a pumpkin patch, straw and corn mazes, a child-size hay bale maze, pre-picked produce, and a refreshment stand; Open September and October; Tuesday - Friday: 4pm - 7pm, Saturdays: 11am - 7pm, Sundays (in October only): 1pm - 5pm

Honey Haven Farm - pumpkins, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, corn maze, haunted corn maze, child-sized haybale maze, corn cannon, horse-drawn hay rides, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, picnic area, face painting, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours 1327 County Road 1475, Ashland, OH 44805. Phone: 419-289-3384 Crops are usually available in September, October. Open: Haunted Maze, Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm, October 5-27; All other fall events, Saturdays and Sundays, Noon - 6pm, September 29 - October 28 Open weekends, September 29 - October 28

Scenic Ridge Fruit Farm - Apples, corn (sweet), grapes, peaches, pumpkins, tomatoes, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, straw or hay bale maze, prepicked produce, gift shop, tractor-pulled hay rides, petting zoo  2031 State Route 89, Jeromesville, OH 44840. Phone: 419-368-3353. Open: June - October: Monday - Saturday 9 am - 5 pm

Bauman Orchards - Pick-your-own apples, child-sized haybale maze, wagon rides, Honey from hives on the farm, Maple Syrup from trees on the farm, apple cider, produce for sale, parking provide free, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, petting zoo  161 Rittman Avenue, Rittman, OH 44270. Phone: 330-925-6861. Open: Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm Saturday 8am to 5pm closed Sunday.

Gale J Farm - pumpkins, Pick-your-own apples, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, train rides, corn maze, tractor-pulled hay rides, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours  4991 Columbus Rd, Wooster, OH 44691. Phone: 330-262-0727.  Open: Monday thru Friday 4 pm to 7 pm; Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 7 pm. Flashlight nights in the corn maze October 24 and 25.

If you know of a local pumpkin patch or farm that offers pumpkins, hay rides and seasonal fun, please feel free to list it here, or send me the details and I will edit this post. :-)

~ Free Fun ~

There is much to do that is free or close to.  

Check your local newspaper for Trick or Treat times at the end of October.  Go ahead and dress up with your kids or grandkids.  It makes it more fun for everyone! 

Pack a picnic and visit a nice & quiet cemetery along the country side.  You'll often find that a cemetery is quiet, peaceful place that makes for a humbling experience.  Some of the old cemeteries offer unique statues and artistic stones.  

Take a country drive during the late afternoon and find a cozy spot to view the sunset.  A drive through the country to view the beautiful changing colors of the leaves can be quite romantic.  Pack a blanket, hot chocolate or tea and some sweet treats for you and your love.  Often you'll find pull off areas on back roads that are along rivers or near a nature preserve.  A nature preserve will sometimes offer a viewing deck or a small spot to pull your car over to marvel at the beauty.  These are perfect little areas to sit and cuddle with a blanket, sip your hot chocolate and enjoy the sounds and beauty of nature, while being accompanied by that special someone.  

Many counties in Ohio have their tall tales or real events that bring fourth the haunting of buildings, forests and old places.  Ohio has many areas that are considered haunted and have been written about in decades past.  There are even several local places, right here in Ashland & Mansfield that are known to be haunted and visited frequently by those not of this world.  Take a night drive by some of these spooky landmarks or make reservations or with a grounds keeper of a property to stay the night in some haunted woods. 

Many Farmers Markets are open through mid October.  Bring your kids by and let them see the colorful gourds, pumpkins and styles of corns.  You can make simple crafts out of many fall items that are safe and biodegradable. 

Local Women and their Businesses

You wont find local made goodies and sweets and your neighborhood Walmart.  That's not saying you can't find such wonderful homemade things like naturally scented soy candles, farm fresh eggs, naturally raised meat, wheat free granola, artisan breads & other sweet treats around Ashland, OH.  You may not be looking in the right places.

Many folks operate a small cottage farm industry out of their home.  This enables them to produce non-temperature controlled items that can be sold anywhere in the state of Ohio.  We've gathered a list of three local women that do such a thing.

Patty Brant of Ashland, OH spends her spare time with her animals on her farm.  Patty is a fellow homesteader and naturally raises a variety of meats, including beef and poultry.  All her meat is naturally raised and antibiotic free.  You'll never find any synthetic hormones used on her farm!  Patty will even allow you to come in and see the animals and interact with them.  When Patty isn't working her part time job or running the farm, you can often find her in the kitchen making homemade soaps and soy candles.  She offers her line of soaps and candles to the public.  Her Tea-Tree soap with pumice is great for those hard worked hands!  As someone who suffers from artificial scented items, I am delighted that Patty offers a full line of unscented soy candles in tea lights, votives and jars!  If you would like more info on naturally raised meat, please click here to visit Cozy Corners Farm on Facebook.  Patty also has a website for her soaps and soy candles.  You can visit her website at: http://www.ccfnaturals.com/

Teresa Humrichouser from the Ashland, Ohio area is creator of Crazy Monkey Baking’s Granola Cookie Crunch.  One of our personal favorite treats when we shop the local farmers market!  Before graduating from Ohio University with bachelor’s degrees in nutrition and food service management, Teresa decided that if she was going to be happy with a career, it would have to involve baking.  A pure student of baking, Teresa has taken numerous baking classes, worked in retail artisan bakeries, and spends a majority of her time perfecting her formulas in her home kitchen.  Upon arrival of her second child, Teresa challenged herself to make an enjoyable snack for the family that didn’t contain all of the sins of modern baking (partially hydrogenated fats, high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, preservatives, etc.)  Teresa started with an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, and over the next few months it evolved into what is known today as Crazy Monkey Baking Granola Cookie Crunch.  You can visit Teresa and her website at: http://www.crazymonkeybaking.com

Kandice Thompson of Polk, OH bakes and operates the 'From Scratch ~ Old World Baked Goods' website and business.  All items are made entirely from scratch and contain no artificial ingredients, no trans fat, no high fructose corn syrup, no growth hormones and no gmo's (genetically modified or engineered ingredients).  Kandice offers a variety of stone baked artisan breads, cookies and sweet treats from old world recipes.  Her Pinwheel bread with cinnamon and sugar is so popular at the Ashland farmers market, that is sells out at every show.  Kandice, a fellow homesteaders and environmental activist stays home and rarely leaves.  She suffers severely from MCS (multiple chemical sensitivities) and therefore can not be around or tolerate any chemicals, perfumes, fabric softeners or other scented items.  Because of this, she is limited to being in the public.  Thankfully her loving husband and daughter run the booth at the local farmers market for her.  Being at home and still being able to do one of her life passions is what keeps Kandice going.  When she is not in the kitchen, you can often find her in one of her organic gardens, herb beds, hiking in the woods or shooting some freelance images with her camera.  Kandice has also had the privilege of being Internationally & Nationally nominated or some of her freelance photography images.  Kandice has been operating the Giving Earth website for several years now.  She has combined all her life passions on one site that is also dedicated to bringing a community together.  To see Kandice's artwork, photography and to view or shop for her incredible breads and sweet treats, please visit her website:  http://www.givingearth.com

If you know of another gal that you feel should be featured on the Good Food & Earth Blog, feel free to contact us or leave a comment all about that special lady and her business.

Ashland's Original Farm Market

One of the biggest & best Farmer's Market in Ashland county is held every Saturday morning at the Christ United Methodist Church parking lot.  Located at 1140 Claremont Ave. Ashland, OH 44805 (across from Little Caesar's Pizza).  The official time of the Farmer's Market is from 9am-11am.  Most of the vendors are set up and already selling at 7am.  There are also several vendors that come close to or actually sell out before 9am.

You'll find a variety of vendors (including us) with everything from seasonal and fresh produce, artisan breads, Amish baked goods, local honey and hand carved wood walking sticks, to natural soaps, candles, baskets and so much more!  Make sure to mark your calendars as this market comes to the seasonal end in the middle of October.

Know a local Farm Market that you'd like to share?  Leave a comment with the dates/time/place.  Share your favorite memories and experiences about your trip to your local market. :-)