More than 20 years ago in Scott, a small suburb of Lafayette, Louisiana, a group of community members came together around a shared goal: increasing access to fresh, healthy, organic food. At the time, those options were limited locally. 

For Board President Chris Adams, the motivation remains simple. 

“It’s simply being part of growing plants that turn into food that I then eat at dinner — starting with the seeds and the soil, nurturing them to harvest time and then putting them on the table,” Adams said. “It’s just ridiculously satisfying. Really rewarding. And in the process, the community becomes integral. The conversations that happen while we work together help shape community goals too.” 

Earthshare runs three 12-week seasons each year — spring, summer and fall — with members picking up weekly or every other week. Participants can choose a traditional subscription or a “working share,” volunteering time in the garden to help with planting, weeding or harvesting. The model gives farmers dependable income upfront while members receive fresh, locally grown produce throughout the season. 

In 2025, Earthshare Gardens received its largest grant through the Louisiana Resilient Food Systems for Infrastructure (RFSI) program. The program helps small farms and food businesses sell products more easily, create value-added goods and support fair pay and safe jobs across the local food system. 

While the award created an exciting opportunity for growth, it also presented a hurdle. 

Their solution came through a trusted network. Adams said that through a statewide community of small-scale agriculture partners, they learned Communities Unlimited (CU) could provide the cash-flow support needed to participate in the grant program. 

Through CU’s Small Farm Lending Program — designed for farmers navigating reimbursement-based funding — Earthshare secured upfront capital for equipment and infrastructure purchases and repaid the loan once grant funds were received. The financing bridged the timing gap between project costs and reimbursement. 

Earthshare worked with CU Economic Development Loan Officer Candence Brooks, and the loan closed Nov. 25 with support from the Louisiana Small Scale Agriculture Coalition and the Sachs Family Foundation. 

“Working with CU was easy,” Adams said. “We were able to work out exactly what we needed. Everything went very smoothly.” 

With financing in place, Earthshare purchased a portable cold storage unit, a two-compartment sink, a prep work table and a grease trap.