Great news! A Texas-based community foundation has offered Hands That Feed matching funds for the next $2,000 in donations.

This money will be paid separately post-Kickstarter, and thus we still need to hit $15k. But it means that every donation now has twice the impact! Just the $10 minimum can make a real difference here as we cinch this gap.

We had amazing coverage last week getting attention on major websites and blogs.

We have to raise over $4,000 this week to make this project happen, and as believers in this project we are asking for your help for one last push.

The coverage we had last week provides the perfect opportunity to reach out to your networks one more time. Please share with your friends one of the great article links below (the articles lend more credibility than another dense email) and let them know you're supporting this project because this story is too important not to be told - both for Haiti, and for the world.

http://www.grist.org/article/food-help-kickstart-a-documentary-on-haitis-agricultural-rebirth

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/07/hands-that-feed-restoring-haiti-sustainably/

http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/3011

We so appreciate your help and dedication. We're so close. Let's pull out all the stops this week to make this film happen!

We'd like to thank all of our supporters for a fantastic effort in reaching our goal of $8,000 by end of the day Friday. With heart-thumping drama, we clicked in at $8,028 just before midnight! Amazing.

Second, with the 8/2 deadline looming, this needs to be our biggest week yet. We have set the intense goal of $12,000 by end of the day this Friday. You are our cavalry, and we really need your help spreading the word this week. If each of our 100 supporters gets 10 friends to give only $5, we will far surpass our $12k goal - simple, right?

Here are 5 things you can do to help:

1. Send another email to your friends (you know we all need multiple reminders for things). You can simply say something like: "I personally support this Haiti documentary film project as it's important and exciting. I'd recommend checking it out: www.handsthatfeed.com"

2. Click here to post again on your Facebook wall.

3. Definitely join our brand new Facebook Page, and then click "Suggest to Friends".

4. Tweet something like: "http://www.handsthatfeed.com needs to hit $12k by Fri. Please help!"

5. If you have blogger friends, introduce us! I'm joshualevin[at]goodeater.org. We can offer them some cool content.

Thank you so much, as always, for all your help.

Sincerely,

The ever-growing Hands That Feed Team

1. We’ve made a new Intro Video. Check it out by going to our main page - www.handsthatfeed.com - and clicking the Play button. Let us know what you think! If you like it, please share.

2. We are making a major push to reach at least $8,000 on Kickstarter by end-of-the-day Friday. We need your help! Small donations, multiplied by the 10+ friends you should send this to, will surpass this goal.

Hello to all of our wonderful Supporters,

First, we want to offer our deepest gratitude for both your financial support and your important vote of confidence over the first week.

We successfully raised just over $3,000 in our fist week! This means we're more than 20% on the path to raising the funds necessary to film the first portion of Hands That Feed. Of course, after our first push, the pace is now naturally slowing, so we now ask our supporters to spread the word to another ring of friends and contacts to keep the momentum! At this moment, Haiti is at a critical critical juncture offering the possibility of a new future, and we also have the opportunity to capture an unparalleled "teachable moment" for the world.

For those following this story, we wanted to share some interesting content.

First, attached is a photo from a recent peasant demonstration in Haiti, in which farmer-protestors burned a "gift" of seeds from Monsanto. Hands that Feed is in contact with the movement's leaders and will be shooting with them on our first trip.

Second, Josh Levin, the film's producer, recently wrote an article that surveys the issues and grassroots movements driving the film.

Third, just last week, NPR made a fantastic video (aired on PBS) showing how food aid is threatening to collapse the local food economy.

The NPR piece is a great look at the the on-the-ground realities of the rice economy, but fails to ask the bigger question of why? Why does the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere import 80% of it staple food from the richest country in the hemisphere? And even more importantly, what can be done to change this dependancy and create sustainability? Thus the importance of Hands that Feed.

We are making another big push this in fundraising to make the film a reality. This week, we really need your support in getting the word out. As a supporter, you have friends and contacts who share their interest in international development, Haiti, and agriculture. We ask that you take a moment right now and please forward the link for this Kickstarter campaign.