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Are you someone who is...
Passionate about preserving the historic Glei's Orchards & Greenhouses
or
Excited about our mission here at the HISP and the ways we can help you in your sustainable living/homesteading journey.
Then you are in the right place!
Our Vision & Mission
Here at the HISP, we have a two-fold vision; two symbiotic missions, if you will.
To keep the community treasure that is Glei’s Orchard and Greenhouses alive, and to honor the legacy of the Glei family, who have put over a century of hopes, dreams, blood, sweat, and tears into their farm. We endeavor to build on that legacy by running the HISP as a sister organization alongside Glei’s—running it by the same principles and values that have made it such a gem from the beginning. We believe that our vision and values at HISP fit ideally with those of this landmark business and that they will complement each other beautifully. If we—with your help—succeed, the store and greenhouses will remain open as a place to create memories, and will endure in serving and supporting our community for generations to come.
Glei's Orchards and Greenhouses is a centennial farm located in Hillsdale County, MI, that has been owned and operated by the Glei family for 105 years.
To create accessibility to locally grown, renewable food sources, free from synthetically-derived chemicals, by setting up advanced learning platforms and tools that can be effectively applied and built upon by individuals as well as communities. At the HISP, we envision a future where both small and large-scale producers are not at the mercy of fragile supply chains and big corporations. A future where communities have the opportunity to learn in-person and remotely from some of the best minds on the topics of sustainable living, health and wellness, homesteading, and naturopathic livestock stewardship. By empowering like-minded individuals—both locally and nationwide—with access to these tools and resources, we purpose to help create strong networks of individuals who are capable of existing apart from mass manufacturing and factory farming. Why? - because, with autonomy and self-sufficiency comes freedom.
Together, we can preserve the legacy while building a place to gather, learn, plant, harvest, and
experience what it means to live simpler, healthier, more connected, and more sustainable lives.
Our Values:
What we believe in striving for.
Live Life Connected
Live life connected to yourself, to those in the community around you, to your work, and to the natural environment through meaning.
Live Life ALIVE
Everyone dies,
but not everyone
truly lives.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do that, because what the world needs is more people who have come alive.
Live Life Capable
There is no virtue in helplessness. Aiming at competence is not just an option; it's a moral obligation. Find something you find meaningful, and become good at it. Don't be helpless; be helpful, if not for your own sake, for the sake of others. Don't deprive yourself or the world of your potential.
If you BELIEVE in our vision,
and you WANT TO HELP with our mission,
here are the ways YOU can help it come to fruition
(More On The Way):
You may be asking, what role can I play? We’re glad you asked!
The Roles:
The Ambassador
The Supporter
The Sponsor
The Worker
PRAY! •If you share our vision for this endeavor, please pray for it, and ask your churches to pray with you.
TALK! •Have in person conversations with people you know and share our link/QR code. If you know anyone in the homesteading/sustainable living space who wants to help, send them our way. •Recruit backers and sponsors--If you know anyone who may be interested in being a backer or a sponsor, please send them our way!
SHARE! •Follow, Like, and Share us on all social media channels (and toggle on notifications).
REACH OUT! •Pound the Pavement! Our flyers and posters are available to print on our Facebook page: Preserve Glei's Orchards and Greenhouses of Hillsdale, MI. Please share them freely! **Please ask for any necessary permission and always be respectful of others' propery. •Become a QR Code campaign affiliate and earn cash value gift cards.
INFLUENCE! •Are you an Influencer or do you KNOW an Influencer?—get on the bus! •Share this page (provided it is allowed) on any and all social media groups/Facebook pages that you think it could be relevant to. Homesteading, Gardening, Sustainable Living, Equine, Glamping, 4H, Home cooking, etc.
WHO CAN BE A SPONSOR? •A Sponsor can be someone (be it an individual, business, or organization) who currently serves a similar demographic of people to those that The HISP serves. • If you believe that your customers could benefit from our products and services, and vice versa, we would love to talk with you about setting up a reciprocating relationship that would help all parties involved. •If you would like to donate goods or services for our raffle, or offer to do a donation match, please contact us via email at connect@thehisp.com, or private message us on social media.
PLEDGES •If the funding need is met, you will recieve a voucher redeemable for the amount that you have contributed. (Coming Soon!) Vouchers will be redeemable for goods, services, and classes at the Glei’s store front and on this website. Once the pages are live, you’ll be able to vote and give feedback on what features, products, services, and speakers you want to see become available to you first. •You can make reservations HERE (coming soon). There is limited space for reservations on products and services. See our Products and Services page for more details. Reservations can only be made by pledge-holders, and will be made available once the Products and Services page has been released. Check your inbox for updates!
MEMBERSHIP •Purchase a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Membership. CSA Membership will include classes on food preparation and preservation. Limited class space available. •Purchase a Herd Share Membership. •Click [HERE] to vote on YOUR membership preferences. (Coming soon)
THE BACKER •The “backer” role is for the few whom are both true believers and who have the means to contribute larger amounts toward our organization. We are open to different arrangements, if you want to contribute in this way or know someone whom does, please send us an email at connect@thehisp.com , or contact us via private message on social media. •Are you interested in supporting us by investing in the value of a property with a buyout option? – contact us at ___________ or via private message on social media!
VOLUNTEER: CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Volunteer/Intern. •If you want to volunteer to work with us for the CSA, we will be accepting a limited number of applicants. •All volunteers will be given skills training, and will have access to membership-level resources.
EMPLOYMENT Work for Us! •For those who believe in our vision and would like to join our team, please contact us at connect@thehisp.com.While submitting your short cover letter, type “Application Request” in the subject bar.
GIVE US FEEDBACK •Tell us what you miss about Glei’s, and what YOUR vision is for Glei’s future. •Click [HERE] for questionnaire (Coming Soon) or {HERE] (also coming soon) to Vote for class content/product preferences. Please note that only contributors to this campaign are able to make reservations or vote at this time.
You can play as many of these roles as you want! Great or small, every single one will help.
FAQs
How will I recieve my vouchers? We are currently working with our payment processor to see how we will be able to achieve this. We will have more information soon.
What is a Homesteader? Joel Salatin does an excellent job of defining a "homesteader" as a ..."person whose heart and focus is in the home." That could have a different meaning depending on who you are, but for us at The HISP, a "homesteader" is one who makes it their goal--whether primary or tertiary--to make the home the primary center for their physical existence.
What is a "CSA"? “CSA” is an acronym for Community Supported Agriculture. According to the USDA National Agricultural Library (1) and Wikipedia (2), a CSA is a “…type of direct marketing, consist[ing] of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation…”(1) as an exchange for a subscription to the harvest or harvests from that farm “…or group of farms” (2). Sources: USDA National Agriculture Library. https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/community-supported-agriculture Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture
What is a "Herd Share"? A Herd Share is an arrangement where the consumer owns a portion of the herd (be it cattle, bison, dairy cows, goats, or sheep), and is therefore entitled to shares in the harvest from the herd. Usually this is handled by a yearly purchase/renewal of the share.
Don't See your question here? Contact Us HERE