Community grant will help nonprofit farm

A community grant will help a Laketown Township nonprofit expand access at its small family farm for people with unique needs.

Fellinlove Farm, 6364 144th Ave., received a $7,000 grant this spring from the Community Enhancement Program, an area-wide group that supports efforts that serve public purposes for the common good and will have enduring positive effect on the quality of life and economic vitality of the greater Holland/Zeeland community.

“The purpose of Fellinlove Farm is to bring underserved children and adults into a serene and safe farm setting,” said Cheryl Kaletka, founder and executive director of the nonprofit. “The exposure of the attendees to animals and environmental lessons during the field trips broadens their world view, teaches them lessons on nature, and has many therapeutic benefits for those with unique concerns.”

The $7,000 grant will be applied to the $45,430 cost for a 4-foot-wide, 500-foot-long Americans with Disabilities Act concrete pathway. The paved trail will provide a safe network system through the farm’s habitats and allow freedom for all people to experience the joy of connecting with animals and nature.

“Currently, guests who use wheelchairs, walkers or canes sink into the sand/gravel/weed mixture,” said Kaletka. “The ADA concrete pathway will create a safe, solid surface for walking and promote ease of mobility and thereby eliminate additional stress for persons and their caregivers.”

The farm must raise what the $7,000 grant does not cover. Besides direct monetary donations, the farm raises money through fundraising events, corporate sponsorships and community involvement.

For more information, visit Fellinlovefarm.com or contact Kaletka at (616) 283-7555.

Laketown Township added Fellinlove Farm to its contracted services by allocating $2,000 to the group in June.

About the farm

Fellinlove Farm is a small family farm for people of all ages and abilities, located on about 11 wooded acres. The setting provides interaction with diverse animals and with nature through a pond and a nature trail. Fellinlove Farm has been providing adaptive farm field trips since April 2012 and became a nonprofit organization in June 2017 and a 501c(3) nonprofit organization in May 2018.

Kaletka has a master’s degree from Grand Valley State University where she was also a professor. She is a Ph.D. candidate with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. She is a parent of young adults with unique needs — her oldest daughter with seizure disorder and youngest daughter with Down syndrome/repaired severe heart defects.

She is also a former caregiver to aging parents with dementia.

Fellinlove Farm was developed to socially, physically, recreationally, mentally, emotionally, and aesthetically benefit its guests in the community who may live with similar concerns, she said.

About the CEP

The Community Enhancement Program is part of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council, a regional group that encourages cooperation among neighboring units of government on area-wide issues. Laketown is a member.

The CEP is a collaboration of five MACC members – Holland, Laketown and Park townships and Holland and Zeeland cities – who make up five of the six people on the CEP board. A MACC member is also on the board.

In December 2023, the township board approved sending $50,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the CEP.