Cyber Monday.

This weekend, retail sales hit a record -- as a country, we spent more than $52 billion dollars on stuff. And with Cyber Monday approaching, even more will be spent. On stuff. Stuff that we often don't know the backstory about.

After hearing the news, we thought, "Woah. What could we do with $52 billion dollars?" And well, we had more ideas than we we could imagine -- we lost count at idea #51,321,345,122. Or somewhere along there. So, here's our backstory. And here's why we're re-naming "Cyber Monday" to "Non-Profit Monday."

Our Backstory
As many of you may know, we recently announced that we'll be taking on new farm come the start of 2012 -- putting us at 3 farms built in Seattle by more than 400 folks from all walks of life. In less than 2 years.

And during those 21 months we've been around, the farms have produced more than 2,000 lbs. of food, our work at large has been featured by the Seattle Times, NPR, GOOD Magazine, Arcade Magazine and recently Seattle Magazine. We've been profiled by the American Institute of Architects, won the 2011 Green Globe Award and stories about our work have even reached a global audience, thanks to Voice of America, which sparked a conversation with about 70 people from around the world on VoA's blog.

All of this has been done on a 100% volunteer effort -- and our farms have been fueled by people just like you since the beginning.

Non-Profit Monday
With "Cyber Monday" approaching, we've decided to re-name it to "Non-Profit Monday" -- because to us, supporting grassroots organizations and non-profits is much more satisfying -- and needed -- than buying a 62" flat screen television.

For 2012, we're launching a bike team in an effort to have a more intimate connection between bicycles + food. The core team will participate in our upcoming fundraiser, Streets + Beets, and will also ride again in May with the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure. And throughout the summer, they will host rides + workshops, geared towards engaging a whole new generation in biking.

We're looking to raise $1,500 -- a kickstart for our bike team. This will allow us to print jerseys so the crew can stay warm and help with marketing efforts + fundraisers to generate support and help fuel change.

So, instead of buying stuff, help us cultivate change. Here's what we've got planned for everyone who supports us and helps us achieve our goal:


- donate more than $500, your name (or person your making the donation on behalf of) will appear on a "Extra Venti" sized coffee cup on our jersey AND you'll get your very own Alleycat Acres bike jersey once printed. Daaang!

- donate more than $400, your name (or person your making the donation on behalf of) will appear on a "Venti" sized coffee cup on our jersey.

- donate more than $300, your name (or person your making the donation on behalf of) will appear on a "Grande" sized coffee cup on our jersey.

- donate more than $200, your name (or person your making the donation on behalf of) will appear on a "Tall" sized coffee cup on our jersey.

- any donation of $50 or more will get a nifty spoke card and a handwritten thank you note. And if we see you on the streets, we'll give you a mean high five. 

Additionally, everyone who contributes will be listed on our soon-to-be website that is undergoing some visual changes. Maybe it's just us, but saying "Hey, I helped fuel the future" is pretty awesome. 

We don't ask for much. Yet we accomplish a lot. And we hope you can help support us this Cyber Non-Profit Monday.