update: 7/1/2020
Make a Positive Impact and Join the Hemp for Our Future Campaign!
In trying times, we turn to those in our inner circles for support. We look to our spiritual guides for guidance and clarity and brave each day knowing the universe has a plan, even if it is hard to see at the time.
When the Covid-19 crisis hit the U.S. after already sweeping around the globe, it made most of us turn inward and created an opportunity for reflection. The global pandemic and required sheltering in place made me think about life and the work I have been doing, and on what and how I was spending my time. During a hike through the forest I started thinking about my mission of legalizing hemp and what it was all about – saving the Earth – creating an opportunity for farmers to freely grow a plant that could produce thousands of sustainable, healthy products and provide humans with all of their basic necessities. The song Hemp Can Save The World popped into my head. I started thinking about the things I learned in WSE 266- the world’s first Industrial Hemp university course taught by Andrea Hermann at Oregon State University in the Spring of 2013. It immediately became clear again, if anything could get us all through this time, it is hemp.
My good friend and colleague Shawn Hauser and I got on a call and we talked about this, and how important our work was, providing legal pathways for farmers and business owners to operate in and create this hemp industry. We reminisced about the Hemp for Victory Campaign and the positive impact that resulted during World War II. We talked about how critical this time is for the hemp industry to make an impact as we embark on the first commercial hemp production season since re-legalization; how important it is for all aspects of the industry to be empowered and in turn what that could mean for the world.
We discussed the impacts Covid was having all around us. Shawn said, “How can we help?! Let’s bring the national industry together and create a network to support those organizations helping those impacted by Covid 19.” And with that, the Hemp for Our Future campaign was born.
We started by bringing together some of our hemp heroes and pioneers in the grain and fiber sectors to learn about what they were doing to help their communities. We called on Friends of Hemp (FoH) to come to duty to help lead this initiative, and my fellow FoH Board Members eagerly approved the proposal.
To bring things full circle, we set out to create our Campaign video modeled after the Hemp for Victory Campaign video. We reached out to farmers, researchers, and folks in all sectors of the industry to share their message. We called on Dan Herer to help share his father’s message, the one that has called so many of us to champion the return of this plant! I send a special “Thank you” to everyone who helped with this video, both on and off camera, to get the word out!
The immediate goal of the campaign is to facilitate donations of hemp-based products to non-profit organizations helping those impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. The long-term goal is to align our industry leaders and veterans to share a message of unity with our global leaders that the overlooked resource of hemp is here and ready for use.
Hemp for Our Future is now a national network of organizations and businesses supporting the production and donation of hemp-based materials and products, and traditional hemp foods to community organizations helping medical professionals and community members impacted by Covid-19.
The contributions the campaign received in its first few weeks was incredible! I participated in the donation of nutritious hemp foods to the Dare to Care Food Bank of Louisville. They were happy to receive the donation and to participate as one of the first beneficiaries of the Hemp for Our Future initiative.
We are so grateful for all the hemp companies who have already provided donations including Victory Hemp Foods, Colorado Hemp Company, Curaleaf, Fusion CBD, Nanocraft CBD (facilitated by CBD Takeout), and several others. The donations our campaign is facilitating are having positive impacts on families in need and nurses who are working tirelessly on the front lines.
We are actively accepting donations, and I am excited to see the hemp industry continue to come together and provide needed supplies.
If your organization is in need of donations, please let us know how we can help!
Courtney Moran, LL.M., Co-Founder, Hemp for Our Future
Our strong and growing list of partners
