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We write to you with a vision of Economic Ecosystem:
How we support the resilience of the whole, together?
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What We Know From our River: Even if the Navarro is barely flowing, underground aquifers and springs nourish it from past rains that fell far up the watershed. We know many of you are struggling; others feel resourced enough. We ask those who can, to be like springs for us, part of our aquifer, so we can share back the gift of water.
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What's Real: We have lost $70-80,000 income (so far). We have $85,000 of expenses through May (Necessary facilities projects, spring land maintenance, reservations and operations admin, monthly overhead - see below for the gritty details). No insurance plan covers pandemic. We may not receive federal loans or receive the full $40,000 we were eligible to apply for.
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What Is Possible: With your help, below are our best ideas for how you can help us recover $40,000 of income - which will cover 50% of our expenses through May. Help us stay resilient, now, so we can share this land and water Sanctuary, as we gratefully do, with many social benefit organizations, non-profits, and you.
What Your Gifts and Investments support: $40,000 of Necessary supplies for late winter facilities projects and maintenance, monthly overhead, like worker's comp and liability insurance, permits, etc. (We hope some staff time and utilities (another $45,00) will be covered by loans, but won't know for 2 weeks.)
Email us with any questions you have about this!
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Contributions: Help our Staff Team Finish Necessary Repairs and Seasonal Prep!
Make a secure contribution right here on our website http://www.riversbendretreat.org/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
or send a check: River’s Bend Retreat Center/ PO Box 332/ Philo, CA 95466
You will see 3 Different Ways you can Choose to Support on the link!
Gift us $100 for 2 months or $200 and we will share a jar of homemade salsa with you. Lilia and Laurie started a "salsa garden" last week!
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“Gift Certificates” & “Retreat Credits”: Share the gift and invest in the ecosystem!
Good through May 1, 2021! All "Gift Certificates"/ "Retreat Credits" purchased before May 15 : 15% off of the cost of the reservation. We have 2020 May and June weekends that were cancelled (could be perfect for individuals, family, close friends), mid-week spaces throughout the year, and some Summer and Fall weekends. Gift someone who’s lost their work or can't work now, your kids who’ve been at home with their kids - and yourself! Details at: http://www.riversbendretreat.org/store/c8/Gift_Certificates.html
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What RB Has to Give Now (Even Without Money): Mendo farmers’ orders for restaurants and schools dried up 3 weeks ago. Laurie collaborated with the MendoLake Food Hub, created spreadsheets, zoom calls and created the “AV Buyer’s Club - River’s Bend” for individuals to buy collectively from Mendo farmers. Our RB Dining Room is a Volunteer-run mini Grocery on Fridays, with people standing outside (6’ away) to pick up their orders of greens, grains, honey, beans and oil! This Buyer's Club has invested over $3,000 in our Mendo Famers! We've also been co-hosting a weekly “Valley Resilience Council Call - Nourish our Hearts and Minds” on zoom with 25 people participating! We know you are doing everything you can to nourish the ecosystems of you/our shared community! Thank you.
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Questions you might have:
How are the staff?
Everyone is healthy so far. All our staff are employees (except for a few, temporary contractors), so all have unemployment benefits. We had to lay off all but 2 staff. 2 staff (one with a child at home) are not working but receive the benefit of housing and utilities onsite. Laurie, the steward/owner continues to volunteer 30 + hours. We hope to re-employ our staff, but again, will have to wait to know about loans.
How will you make it safe for guests and staff to book your guest lodging? We will follow cleaning protocols with the best available information to ensure your health. We may keep cabins unbooked for 3 days between stays, and we will certainly provide even more meticulous cleaning than normal.
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THANK YOU...
Thank you for everything you are doing in your communities to keep our small businesses, artists, service people, and yourselves, well!
Be well, share in community wellness, and think like an ecosystem!
With gratitude and care,
The RB team: Laurie, Yesika, Greg, Lilia, Skip, Pilar, Mirella and Ana (and all who helped winter-time tending this year )
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