Fund the Farm began with hopes of creating a self-sustaining farm to build better lives for more kids in foster care.  Here's more info about the project and how you can help.

The Story

With nearly 500,000 kids in foster care in the U.S. and 100,000 of them needing permanent homes, it's important to make lasting change.

A farm would provide a place for more kids in foster care to live and thrive and for older kids and those who have aged out of the system to come home to and learn essential life skills they'll need as adults.

And, with so many opportunities for growth and expansion, a farm would quickly become a self-sustaining operation that could make an even bigger impact on foster care in the U.S.

The Goal

The goal for the project is to raise the initial funding needed to kickstart the farm, with the biggest expense being the lease on a property.  The estimated budget needed to start is $25,000, plus IndieGoGo and PayPal fees for a total of $28,000.

The Perks

Once we launch the farm, we're planning a year's worth of events to keep us going, and the best part is, you're invited!  We've come up with rewards that allow you to take advantage of all the great things going on in 2012.

Here are the fun and unique perks you'll get for helping "Fund the Farm."

Fans: $5

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
  

Evangelists: $25

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt

Enthusiasts: $50

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)

Advocates: $100 (only 100 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a  "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm

Supporters: $500 (only 50 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm
• PLUS a coffee table photography book of images from around the farm
• PLUS two tickets to a "Cochon de Lait" (a Louisiana-style pig roast) on the farm in Spring 2012

Card-Carrying Devotees: $1,000 (only 25 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm
• PLUS a coffee table photography book of images from around the farm
• PLUS two tickets to a "Cochon de Lait" (a Louisiana-style pig roast) on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS a tree planted on the farm in your honor
• PLUS a "Taste of Louisiana" sampler crate with goodies from around the state
• PLUS two tickets to a Louisiana-style crawfish boil on the farm in Spring 2012

Believers: $2,500 (only 15 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm
• PLUS a coffee table photography book of images from around the farm
• PLUS two tickets to a "Cochon de Lait" (a Louisiana-style pig roast) on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS a tree planted on the farm in your honor
• PLUS a "Taste of Louisiana" sampler crate with goodies from around the state
• PLUS two tickets to a Louisiana-style crawfish boil on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS they get to "adopt a chicken" (they get to name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS their name on a paver in our "Patrons Garden"
• PLUS their name listed on the "Farm Donor Wall" of the barn
• PLUS a farm quilt made with photos from around the farm

Backers: $5,000 (only 8 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm
• PLUS a coffee table photography book of images from around the farm
• PLUS two tickets to a "Cochon de Lait" (a Louisiana-style pig roast) on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS a tree planted on the farm in your honor
• PLUS a "Taste of Louisiana" sampler crate with goodies from around the state
• PLUS two tickets to a Louisiana-style crawfish boil on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS they get to "adopt a chicken" (they get to name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS their name on a paver in our "Patrons Garden"
• PLUS their name listed on the "Farm Donor Wall" of the barn
• PLUS a farm quilt made with photos from around the farm
• PLUS they get to "adopt a duck" (they can name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS two tickets to our 3-day "FosterJam Rock Fest Spring 2012" (includes 3-nights' accommodations in an area hotel)
• PLUS two tickets to our 3-day "FosterJam Country Music Fest Fall 2012" (includes 3-nights' accommodations in an area hotel)
• PLUS a limited edition print of an artist's rendering of the farm

Benefactors: $10,000 (only 4 available)

• Get their name listed on the "Friends of the Farm" page of our website
• PLUS a "Fund the Farm" t-shirt
• PLUS a Louisiana cookbook of favorite meals from the farm (including some of our grandmas' favorite recipes)
• PLUS a 2013 "A Year on the Farm" photo wall calendar of our first year on the farm (delivered for Christmas 2012 and with a personalized greeting from all of us on the farm)
• PLUS a hand-painted birdhouse created especially for you by the kids on the farm
• PLUS a coffee table photography book of images from around the farm
• PLUS two tickets to a "Cochon de Lait" (a Louisiana-style pig roast) on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS a tree planted on the farm in your honor
• PLUS a "Taste of Louisiana" sampler crate with goodies from around the state
• PLUS two tickets to a Louisiana-style crawfish boil on the farm in Spring 2012
• PLUS they get to "adopt a chicken" (they get to name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS their name on a paver in our "Patrons Garden"
• PLUS their name listed on the "Farm Donor Wall" of the barn
• PLUS a farm quilt made with photos from around the farm
• PLUS they get to "adopt a duck" (they can name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS two tickets to our 3-day "FosterJam Rock Fest Spring 2012" (includes 3-nights' accommodations in an area hotel)
• PLUS two tickets to our 3-day "FosterJam Country Music Fest Fall 2012" (includes 3-nights' accommodations in an area hotel)
• PLUS a limited edition print of an artist's rendering of the farm
• PLUS they get to "adopt a horse" (they can name it, and we'll send a photo)
• PLUS their name on a bench located on the farm
• PLUS an original hand-painted artist's rendering of the farm (signed and framed)

Other Ways to Help

Of course, we'd love to have your financial backing for the project, but we need your help making a little noise about the campaign, too.  Please spread the word by telling your friends and family about "Fund the Farm" and asking them to get involved with the project - every little bit helps!

Tell everyone you know about the project,

Share it with your friends on Twitter and Facebook, and

Wear your "Fund the Farm" t-shirt loud and proud!

With your support, this project is sure to be a huge success!

Thanks for helping "Fund the Farm."

*** Important Note ***

All events will take place on the farm, located in Louisiana (address TBA).