To everyone who believes in being treated fairly, with dignity and respect…we need your help to support the continued development and success of Charity's Hope Family Farm.

Today, of the United States’ 3.4 million total farmers, only 1.3%, or 45,508, are Black according to new figures from the US Department of Agriculture. Black farmers own a mere 0.52% of America’s farmland.

The property located in La Plata, Maryland was purchased by Charity Barrett, an African-American woman, with a dream to create a small-scale farm resort (short-term camping, farmstay-style bed and breakfast, and an outdoor space for ecotourism, weddings, and other small private events). She is diligent in submitting detailed plans to the Charles County Department of Planning and Growth Management (PGM).

From the beginning, Ms. Barrett faced challenges with PGM. As a means to adhere to the government’s requirements, she has significantly altered her original plans to meet the exact requirements of a new agritourism bill,  ZTA-20-156 (Agriculture Related Uses), that covers her building a farm and offering educational and community agricultural activities. The purpose of this new bill is to bring projects like Charity’s Hope Family Farm into fruition and cut the unnecessary red tape, but her experience has been the total opposite. 

According to PGM, Charity’s Hope Family Farm is the first and only applicant under this new bill.  Ms. Barrett has presented her project in a professional and thorough manner and her application has been blocked at every turn. PGM is requiring her to spend over $150,000 in unnecessary engineering and development costs despite the new legislation, with no guarantee of approval. Ms. Barrett has made several official agenda requests to discuss her project with the Commissioners, and has been denied or ignored.

There are currently several farmers in the county who have been and continue to operate agritourism type farms with no interference from PGM and without the overwhelming requirements Ms. Barrett has been tasked to satisfy.  This leads her to believe there may be underlying personal or political sabotage, to prevent this well-needed, family-friendly, farming project in Charles County. 

Unfortunately, PGM is not her only obstacle. There are neighbors who have made it clear, that Ms. Barrett and her young family's farm project are not welcome and they have started a petition to block her plans. Neighbors have also violated her property through vandalism on her property which Ms. Barrett reported to the authorities and they inappropriately asked her husband to submit DNA to prove he didn’t commit the damage. Ms. Barrett’s children were questioned by a neighbor while they were playing in the yard. This was another violation of protection and privacy. Ms. Barrett has received minimal support at the local level which made her decide it was time to escalate her concerns to the state and outside organizations. She also spoke to a few media outlets who should be reporting on her story in the near future. There has been some support shown by some of the commissioners but Ms. Barrett is not hopeful things will be resolved fairly or promptly at the local level which is a close-knit community. Ms. Barrett is viewed and treated as an outsider. 

Ms. Barrett owns several homes in Charles County and Prince George’s County, is a devoted mother of three, a wife, and small business owner of several ventures which have been successful with the communities she serves. She is bringing fresh and innovative ideas to Charles County in the form of this family farm and agritourism. The tactics of the local government are attempting to break her spirit, attack her mental health, and drain her financially. She is exhausted as she is now an active new farmer that is also fighting a battle with the county. She needs our help. 

Friends of Charity’s Hope Family Farm are asking you to sign this petition in support of her completing this project. Hopefully, with your support, Ms. Barrett will begin to experience  expedited, fair treatment from our local government officials and the opportunity to providing another much-needed, family-oriented activity for our county.

Thank you for reading, and signing, to express your support.

**DISCLAIMER**

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT DONATIONS GO TO CHANGE.ORG…NOT OUR FARM.

For those that want to donate to our farm during this challenging time to help with the care and feeding of the animals, feel free to send your donations to CashApp $charityshope.

Please put your name and email address in the memo section so that we can add you to our list of donors that we intend to offer perks and free access to future events if we’re successful with our battle with the county.

*Donations to Charity’s Hope Family Farm are not tax deductible at this time.