In addition to generous gifts by individuals plus proceeds from farm operations and programming, the food access mission of Just Roots is made possible through a variety of local partnerships. It takes many hands to build a community farm!
Funder Collaborators
Major local funders of Just Roots who also collaborate on projects.
Community Health Center of Franklin County
Partnered with Just Roots to offer in-season monthly health care screenings for CSA members and provided van service from the town center to the community farm, increasing access to food and programming by addressing transportation barriers. CHCFC is also partnering with Just Roots on the USDA FMPP grant – studying the impact of CSA participation on member health.
Franklin Community Co-op
Provided startup funding for Just Roots and initial funding of Donor Supported Farm Shares; sponsored Just Roots public events; provided space for the Common Wealth CSA and the Local Food Clinic; offers working member credit for volunteer hours at the farm.
Funders
Major local funders of Just Roots.
Baystate Franklin Medical Center
Funded two year Better Together grant to support Everyone’s Farm, Everyone’s Table: Food Connects Us grant 2021 – 2023. Funded two years of research and development of Just Soup 2016 – 2017.
Baystate Health
Sponsored Just Roots public events; major sponsor of the Donor Supported Farm Shares in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and provided continued support for Supported Shares in 2018.
BETE Fog Nozzle, Inc
Helped to fund the Supported Farm Share Program in 2018.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation
Provided a Catalyst grant to Just Roots to support the CSA program in 2020. Contracted with Just Roots in 2018 to support the (Im)Proving the CSA Model research study through 2019. The study (originally funded by USDA) is looking at health impacts of CSA participation on food insecure populations.
Big Y
Helped to fund the Supported Farm Share Program in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Selected Just Roots as the recipient of the memorial golf tournament in 2019 and named Just Roots the beneficiary of their Giving Bag program in 2019.
Community Foundation of Western Mass
Provided Covid-Relief funding in 2020. Funded a Capacity Grant in 2019/2020 to facilitate strategic thinking, board development and earned income diversification. Funded the expansion of the Local Food Clinic program to become year-round in 2018. Funded the Innovation Planning grant in 2017 to understand the barriers that limit access to healthy, local food to low income populations and design interventions to address them. Also funded creation of Education Coordinator position and one year of the Director transition plan.
Eversource
Has been supporting our Subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm Share program since 2018.
Food Justice Bike Ride
The Food Justice Bike Ride benefited Just Roots in 2019, raising over $12,000 to support our food justice work. Teams and individuals raised money to support this cause! The ride was presented by the Franklin County Rotary!
Fallon Health
Joined us in supporting Supported CSA Farm Shares in 2020.
Franklin First Federal Credit Union
Supported Just Roots through the Food Justice Bike Ride in 2019 and opted to continue its support with a *direct gift to support Just Roots’s CSA program in 2020 (*due to the cancellation of the Ride event due to Covid).
Freedom Credit Union
Had the faith to offer Just Roots our first commercial loan for infrastructure and continue to provide lead gifts for our annual fund. They also joined us in supporting Supported CSA Farm Shares in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Town of Greenfield
Preserved 60 acres of town land and leasing to Just Roots for 15 years (expanded to 30 years, concluding in 2048); provided startup funding for Just Roots and regular support for land revitalization. Offered matching funds to support the barn re-stabilization project in 2019.
Greenfield Savings Bank
Sponsored Supported CSA Farm Shares in 2020 and sponsored reusable bags for CSA members in 2019 and supported the second annual Food Justice Bike Ride with a team.
Greenfield Cooperative Bank
Sponsored the Supported CSA Farm Share program since 2017, and are again sponsoring our community work in 2021. GCB also provides Just Roots with a line of credit and is our local bank for our business needs.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation
Provided Covid-Relief funding in 2020. Funded a three year renewable grant (2019-2021) called Grow & Glean – the volunteer program of Just Roots ensuring what we grow reaches agencies in need and engaged our whole community in participating through volunteerism.
Health New England
Provided support for the Supported CSA Farm Share program in 2021. Provided Covid-Relief Funding in 2020. Selected Just Roots as one of four inaugural grantees in their new Where Health Matters grant program in 2018/2019 to support Mainstreaming Food Access into Health and Housing Programs. Helped to fund (Im)Proving the CSA Model, the randomized, controlled research study to prove the health benefits of CSA farm shares, funded in part by the USDA in in collaboration with the Community Health Center of Franklin County and Dr. Seth Berkowitz of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard in 2018.
Howard Stark Charitable Foundation
Helped to fund Just Roots in 2019 and 2020 with a General Operating grant that supported the organization’s ability to operate from a place of abundance, diverting financial resources where they were needed most throughout the year. With this funding JR was able to focus on diversifying earned income streams, disseminate our model and operate our food access programming to serve the needs of our whole community.
New England Grassroots Environment Fund
Provided funds for one of our original greenhouses.
Project Bread
Helped to fund our Supported Farm Share program in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
UNFI
Helped to fund our Supported Farm Share program in 2020.
United Way of Franklin County
Funded three-year Growing Units indoor/outdoor science curriculum for elementary schools in 2015 and 2016, and helped fund the Donor Supported Farm
Whole Foods Market
Helped to fund Supported Farm Shares in 2017 and 2019 with a 5% Giving Day and contributions from their Giving Grill event in 2017.
Wormtown Trading Company
Helped to fund Supported CSA Farm Shares from 2013 – 2019.
Beyond these local sources, Just Roots was the recipient of a “Farmers Market Promotion Program” (FMPP) grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with the Community Health Center of Franklin County and Dr. Seth Berkowitz to study the health impacts of CSA farm share participation. We were also awarded the “Community Food Projects” grant from the USDA in collaboration with the FCCDC, GCC, and FHREB, see below.
Collaborators
Project partners with Just Roots
Franklin County Community Development Corporation (FCCDC)
Partnered in the USDA “Community Food Projects” grant and technical assistance with Just Soup.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office & Kimball Reentry House
Partnering in the Jail-to-Farm Internship for college
credit bringing men from the pre-release program to the farm to work and
gain agricultural skills while receiving credit hours in the Farm and
Food Systems program at Greenfield Community College.
Greenfield Community College (GCC)
Partnered in the USDA “Community Food Projects” grant and Jail-to-Farm Internship for college credit and continue to provide interns to Just Roots.
Greenfield Senior Center
Advisory council piloted Senior Farm Shares and programming with seniors; served as a CSA Farm Share distribution site.
Greenfield Public Schools
Three-year pilot of Healthy Snack Market; regular farm visits; future site of Growing Units curriculum development; first school district to purchase JUST SOUP.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust
Technical assistance with the November 2010 community forum that
birthed Just Roots, negotiations with the Town of Greenfield and
preservation of the land with an Agricultural Preservation Restriction
(APR).
The Community Builders at Leyden Woods Apartments
Enlisted Just Roots to help revive the Leyden Woods community garden. Distribute Just Roots produce at a weekly food pantry for residents. Hosted a series of “Soup and Video Get-Togethers” in early winter 2016 in the Leyden Woods community room which begin again this fall 2017.