Little Portion Farm is a ministry of the Franciscan Friars Conventual, a religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209. The companions of St. Francis, whom he called “friars minor” or lesser brothers, committed themselves to living lives of humility and service. Today, our Order consists of over 4400 friars throughout the world.

The name “Little Portion” comes from the Porziuncola, a small chapel in Assisi rebuilt by St. Francis and his early companions that became their home and that of Franciscans throughout the centuries. The farm carries this name both to call to mind this spiritual refuge, and to reflect the modesty of our work in caring for this “little portion” of creation.

The farm is a project under the direction of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Ministry, directed by Friar Mike Lasky of Our Lady of the Angels Province. The JPIC Ministry oversees a variety of projects that seek to serve the poor and marginalized. This, of course, includes the earth herself, who, as Pope Francis states in Laudato si’, “is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.”