We dream of planting a bountiful fruit orchard of apple, pear, and peach trees in honor of Isaac, who inspired me to create Hope Haven. Sadly, Isaac passed away in July after only two happy months on the farm. Isaac loved apples and the Orchard will honor him and ensure that his story continues to help educate people.

There are so many benefits to growing an orchard at Hope Haven! Most importantly it will provide nutritious fruit and enjoyment for our deserving animals. With 80+ animals here at the farm we constantly battle feed costs and an orchard will significantly lower those bills for years to come! In addition, the trees will be planted near our duck pond and will act as protective cover to the more than 30 ducks and geese that enjoy the water. Although our farm is fenced to defend against four-footed predators, hawks and owl are still a threat from the air. The fruit trees' branches will shield our residents from those dangers.

The orchard will contain 12 hearty trees and maintenance will be performed via a natural walking path. What a visual improvement from the barren area it is now to a blossoming orchard! Our informative farm tours currently educate young and old about farm animal welfare and teach them about where their food comes from. We can expand our tours out of the barns and into the orchard to inform people about healthy diets, gardening, and outdoor activities.

Isaac's Orchard would enable us to entertain new groups and organizations. We could invite youth groups to help us maintain the trees and gardening groups to learn the benefits of backyard gardening and permaculture. These groups would also learn our mission of cruelty-free living and compassion toward all animals.

We are excited about this opportunity to strengthen our non-profit Sanctuary, nourish our deserving animals, and educate and enlighten Pittsburghers. We would be honored to be the first animal-oriented project funded by AWESOME Pgh and we would make you proud!