Slough Farm Foundation currently provides large grants to MV Community Services, MV Agricultural Society and Island Grown Initiative to fund and administer large scale, collaborative projects to impact our island community.
Prepared Meals Program
History
Born during the peak of the Covid pandemic and modeled after New York City's Feed the Front Lines program, our prepared meals initiative — formally known as Slough Farm Suppers — has since grown into an enduring part of how we show up for this island. Over the years, thousands of meals have been prepared in our kitchen and distributed through local food equity partners to islanders facing food insecurity.
At its inception, Slough Farm Suppers collaborated with out-of-work chefs, using local produce and meats that had nowhere to go as wholesale markets shut down. That first summer, operating out of a kitchen generously rented from Camp Jabberwocky, the program produced and distributed 5,271 soups and meals to islanders facing food insecurity.
By fall 2020, it was clear that growing the program would require a strong distribution partner. Island Grown Initiative (IGI) was a natural fit — their IGI2go soup program was already creating meals from gleaned produce and donated meats and distributing them across the island. Our official partnership launched in October 2020, supported by a grant from Slough Farm to IGI covering containers, supplies, administration, and distribution costs.
Now in our sixth year of partnership, the numbers speak for themselves. Over 265,000 meals have been distributed through the island food pantry, Hospice of MV, the Boys and Girls Club, the Councils on Aging, MV libraries, the YMCA, Community Services, Island Healthcare, and more. In 2026 alone, 70,000 meals are projected to be made and distributed to island partners and children through the summer lunch program.
None of this is possible without IGI's devoted work — managing every aspect of meal production, kitchen operations, and distribution. We are deeply grateful for their partnership and everything they do to feed this island.
Prepared Meals Program
Slough Farm Foundation is now in its 6th year supporting Island Grown Initiative (IGI)in provide homemade meals to those in need.
In 2025 we began splitting 50% of the costs associated with running the commercial kitchen leased by IGI to further support this program. The kitchen is also used to process gleaned and surplus produce for future use and for butchering donated deer.
Meal Prepared
Island Grown Initiative and Slough Farm Foundation Teen Program
Now in its fifth year, the Teen Food System Internship is an IGI-created and led program supported by Slough Farm Foundation, offering a small cohort of high school students an immersive, hands-on exploration of the food system from seed to fork. Each summer, a diverse group of local and off-island students — seven this year — arrive as strangers and leave with real skills, meaningful friendships, and a deeper understanding of where food comes from and how communities are fed.
Over the course of six weeks, interns visit island farms, harvest produce for the food pantry, assist shoppers, work in the kitchen as part of IGI's meals program, and tend school gardens. The program is rooted in real work alongside real farmers, cooks, and community members — not observation, but participation.
This year's capstone project takes interns beyond the farm and into the broader island community. Working together from concept to installation, the group will design and build an interactive, soil-focused display for the new Grow Zone at the Agricultural Fair — three tables of hands-on content designed to teach fairgoers of all ages what healthy soil is and why farmers work so hard to protect it. It's the kind of project that only a team could pull off, and exactly the kind of challenge this internship was built for.
We are grateful to IGI for running this incredible experience for teens interested in agriculture!
Farmer’s Grant Program
Supporting our island farmers is at the forefront of Slough Farms mission. Since 2018 we have given over $85K to support the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society’s (MVAS) grant program for island production farmers and homesteaders. Funds are available to both production farmers and backyard growers each fall to support innovative projects not able to be funded by other initiatives.
Learn more about Farmer Support
Childcare Subsidy
In 2025, $166,880 in subsidies were provided to 55 children (47) families.
The funds were distributed to 10 center-based programs and 7 Family Child Care Programs and awarded to qualified families.
The Child Care Subsidy Program served infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
43 families served had an income between 80% - 125% of the Area Median Income (AMI). • 4 families had an income under 80% of the AMI. We expanded our eligibility criteria to include families under 80% when the Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG) were depleted in the fall.
In 2026 a grant of $200,000 has been made to MVCS to continue the program!
We are grateful to Martha’s Vineyard Community Services for helping develop and administering our childcare stipends.
Whether you have a question, an idea, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out—we’re here to help.