The SweetRoot Eatership Fund

We'll be honest: it's a good thing we are able to eat from the farm at no charge. In the early years of building our farm business, our income would not allow us to afford our own farm membership, and we know we are not alone in being on a tight budget. A part of our farm mission is to help more families gain access to healthy, sustainably grown local food, so in 2017 we started the Sweetroot Eatership Fund to help feed more of our community.

Just like a scholarship helps cover the costs of attending school or college, an eatership helps bridge the gap between the cost of a farm membership and what a household can afford to pay. We know many families in the Bitterroot are eager to eat well and support local farms, but lack the financial means to buy local produce in the quantities they need. If you or someone you know fits that description, please apply or nominate a household in the form below. If you have the means to help these families, please consider donating to the eatership fund.

For the past several years, the generosity of farm supporters has helped us hit our goal offering eatership support to 5-8 households (10-15% of our membership). Eatership members pay what they can afford, which can range from 10%-75% of the membership of their choice. Eatership recipients have included single moms, young families, new business owners, Americorps volunteers, and elders on fixed income. They were extremely grateful for the support, and we were delighted to be able to welcome them into the farm, with your help.

We know that many people are still struggling with the current economics and pandemic recovery, and want to do everything we can to help our community access our good food, which we see as foundational to good health for everyone. Whether you are a new or returning member, we want you to eat well, an we want it to fit your budget. In 2020, the farm received several generous surprise gifts from supporters with no strings attached, and we continue to pay it forward by seeding the Eatership fund with $1,000 of farm funds each year to help the program get off to a good start. The rest is donated in a range of amounts from our farm members as they sign up for their memberships. Many add just 5-10% on to their membership fee, but it adds up. We picture it very much like a big extended family or group of friends at a restuarant, each pitching in an extra couple bucks if they can to cover the friend who is short that day. It’s a truly beautiful way the people of our farm help take care of each other, and we are just a conduit to help it happen.

If you are in need of some help for this growing season, please fill out this simple form below. We keep all your personal information confidential.

Fill out this form to apply or nominate:

Name

First Name

Last Name

Are you applying for your household or nominating someone else?

Myself or my family

Someone else

Email Address

If you are nominating someone else, please provide their contact information below (either email or physical address), and any special message about why you’d like to see them in the eatership program. Please let us know if you would prefer for your nomination to remain anonymous. If you are applying for an eatership, please skip this box and fill out the form below. Feel free to call us with any questions, at 493-7211.

How many people eat at your home on a regular basis? Feel free to include individuals who do not officially live at your residence, but eat there often enough that they impact your food budget.

What type of membership are you interested in? If you are not sure, you can choose more than one.

One Feed Bag

Two Feed Bags

How much can your household contribute towards your membership? Note that membership fees can be split into 3 payments spread throughout the year.

To determine the amount of your eatership, we’ll subtract your contribution from the total cost of the membership you are interested in.

Please describe your household in a few sentences that can be shared with potential donors. We will use these descriptions in fundraising materials for the eatership program, so please only include details such as names, ages, housing situation, or occupations if you are comfortable with them being public.

What else would you like us to know about your household’s interests or needs? (This information will be kept confidential to the farm, not used in any promotional materials or public stories.)

What is the best way and time to contact you? Please note we don't share any contact information.

Your donation allows us to feed families who cannot afford their choice of farm membership. Our goal this year is to help 10-15 families who might not otherwise be able to join.

Donate to the Eatership