Derek and Lara Scanlon were terrified the dream they had worked so hard to achieve was on the verge of dying.
In 2017, the couple had purchased 40 acres of property in rural Skamania County and turned it into Colibri Gardens, an organic farm, homesteading school and event venue, and began to generate a modest amount of money offering classes, tours, cabin rentals and weddings.
“For the past three years, we’ve thrown a lot against the wall to see what sticks,” Derek said.
But after the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to cancel events this spring and summer, the ScanlonsĀ found themselves in a vulnerable financial position.
“We had been (worrying) about how we could hang on to this place,” Lara said. “Our economic margins were so high. We had to get a mortgage deferment for three months. And, quite frankly, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to keep this farm. It was really scary. It was heartbreaking.”