We Need Your Help with "The Little Shelter That Could"

After the fire this winter at the Main House, the whole farm seemed to be in mourning over the loss of a guardian of the farm. Tearing it down was a very real possibility. The fire and its implications became the catalyst that set Cracker Box Palace in motion on deciding what we as the shelter would do. That magnificent, historic house and Alasa Farms as a whole are an integral part of not only local, but state and national history. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has also secured the listing of Alasa Farms on the New York State Register of Historic Places, and our National registration is pending.

The Mangan family, current owners of Alasa Farms and descendents of Alvah Strong, the original owner of Alasa Farms in the early 1900’s, have desired to sell the family farm for several years; the right buyer, one who would preserve their farm and family’s history, hasn’t come along, until now. After much deliberation, looking at other farms in our area, and trying to figure out how a little not for profit farm animal shelter could ever imagine how it would ever be able to afford such an endeavor, we decided we absolutely had to try..and we HAVE to succeed. This started our quest to figure out a plan to buy the 600+ acres of Alasa Farms, have a forever home for our shelter’s animals, restore the buildings, keep Alasa Farms alive for future generations, ensure the property remains whole and preserved, and keep it “green” and out of the hands of potential developers...and make a lot of dreams come true.

To make a long story short, CBP’s purchase offer has been accepted and signed by the Mangan family, and they are thrilled with our intent to preserve their farm, their history, and their legacy. They are so pleased with our progress since our shelter began leasing barns and pastures in 2004; most of all, they are pleased that their family farm is once again bustling with activity and the barns are filled with animals, as they were meant to be.

We are working with many local and state agencies to secure grants toward funding not only our purchase of the property, but for on-going operations. Genesee Land Trust has become a principal partner in our endeavor. They have applied for a farmland conservation easement on the land which will ensure that the Alasa Farms property remains a farm…always. The Wayne County Planning Department is working full-speed-ahead to secure grant funding.

Other supporting agencies and groups include the

• Wayne County Board of Supervisors,
• Farm Net
• USDA’s Lake Plains Conservation Council
• Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District
• Agricultural Development Board of Wayne County
• Farm Bureau of Wayne County, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County
• Wayne County Historical Society

and so many more.

The show of faith and belief in our mission to purchase and preserve Alasa Farms continues to grow.

The bottom line is…WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

We need to raise $1.5 million to purchase the property, and our campaign goes beyond that; we’re putting a fund in place to finance on-going taxes, building restoration and maintenance, not to mention our most important expense…day to day care for our 170+ innocent creatures of God who deserve so much better than they have been handed in life. THANK EWE!!!!

Please…donate to our Capital Campaign. You’ll be part of giving CBP a forever home for all of the animals who, sadly, will come through our doors in the future…but, thanks to “ewe” will leave through our doors whole and healed and loved by new families.

Capital Campaign Donation :

Below is the Capital Campaign Video