Rooted & Rising: A collaborative fundraiser for collective thriving
Over the past two decades, we at Finca Luna Búho and Woven Roots Farm & Education Center have grown two land-based initiatives committed to co-creating and building community nourishment and autonomy, from seed to shared table. Both are deeply rooted in relationships that reflect reciprocity to the land and, in turn, as we believe, hold mutual care, Indigenous ecologies, and environmental justice at their core. We believe we are at a moment of rare, precious, and fierce opportunity—where we are being called back to the ancestral ways of collective care; where we envision our collaboration as a model for how communities can uplift one another in non-hierarchical ways; and where we together can nourish thriving in our communities that is rooted in collective liberation.
Together we have raised $1.2 of our $1.7 million goal—thanks to leadership gifts of both philanthropic and direct aid! Please know that these groundbreaking funds have deeply nourished the vision we have held for so many years, and are helping to build the foundation with which we may promote the thriving of our collective work. Thank you to all of you who have joined us! We hold tremendous gratitude for you and your support and are thrilled to share with you some highlights of what you have helped to create.
At Finca Luna Búho, we have completed the outdoor kitchen space that includes a traditional Nicaraguense stove (hornilla) and counter (molendero), where we have been able to host community dinners.
We've completed our outdoor bathroom, garden sheds, garden greenhouse and two bridges that cross the land's rivers;
And we’ve also been working closely with an architect and civil engineer to get our building plans approved by the town!
At Woven Roots Farm, our beautiful new barn which will feature extensive new food processing, storage, farm store and programming space is almost done! Currently, we’re putting the final touches on the roof, insulating the structure and building out interior spaces;
During last year's CSA season, in fact, we were able to operate out of the new wash and pack station and put our vastly expanded, new cold storage space to use;
And we were proud to host a fall farm gathering in the barn in November, and introduce all of our Woven Roots CSA members to the Rooted & Rising Campaign—over 100 beloved community members were in attendance!
Additionally, in our collaborative work, we’ve held BIPOC youth gatherings at both of our locations, and the transforming infrastructure has allowed us to further grow and nurture some inspiring connections with local schools and community groups.
And, we expanded our flagship food sovereignty program, Seeding Solidarity, to provide 125 CSA shares weekly to our more vulnerable community members, up from 85 participants the previous year!
We hope you can feel all of the energy and love in these places…! Together we are engaging in deeply rooted food sovereignty, creating regional access to food resources and community space, and providing land, food and medicine for those profoundly deserving and often lacking access. We look forward to stepping into the final phase of our Rooted & Rising Campaign, wherein we will complete Woven Roots’ barn and Finca Luna Búho’s community space, as well as begin our year-round programming. With less than $500,000 left to raise, we welcome the participation of our community as we move towards actualizing our shared dream—together!
Photos from Finca Luna Búho and Woven Roots Farm & Education Center, present day Cheshire, MA and Tyringham, MA.