The Marshfield Area Community Foundation is pleased to introduce the “We All Gotta Go” Fund, established by Jason and Natasha Tompkins, which fills an unglamorous yet important recreational need in the Marshfield community: a toilet. The new endowment fund will annually support a porta potty in Forest Ridge Park annually each spring-fall.
Natasha’s involvement with Forest Ridge grew out of her service on the Marshfield City Council. During her 2022 campaign to represent District Three, which includes the park, she heard a consistent request from families–they needed access to a restroom.
Parents described cutting park visits short because they could not reasonably get home in time when their young children needed to use the bathroom. One mother recounted knocking on a stranger’s door for help. Local playgroups had improvised by designating a pine tree as the “potty tree”.
Initially, the Parks and Recreation Department funded a porta potty at Forest Ridge. When budget constraints removed it for a season, the community response was immediate and strong, prompting Natasha to seek a Community Grant through the community foundation to restore the unit.
The impact of that grant quickly became evident. The director of a local YMCA day camp expressed appreciation for another year of access to a toilet, noting that without a restroom at Forest Ridge, staff had been driving around town to find parks that could accommodate large groups of children. Families with children playing youth soccer on the adjacent fields shared similar feedback, especially during evening practices when restroom access is essential.
“I realized that if we want people to stay and enjoy the park, they need reliable access to restrooms,” Natasha said. “Public toilets are not a luxury; they are basic infrastructure.”
While the initial focus is ensuring a porta potty at Forest Ridge Park each summer, the fund is open to contributions from anyone in the community and is structured to grow. As it does, the Tompkins hope it can support restroom access at other Marshfield parks and fields teeming with local activity.
As Jason and Natasha prepare to relocate, they anticipate missing the specific moments that made Marshfield feel like home: neighbors who show up and the sense that people take responsibility for one another without waiting for someone else to act. Establishing the “We All Gotta Go” Fund through the Marshfield Area Community Foundation is their way of ensuring that Forest Ridge Park continues to become more accessible, comfortable, and welcoming for future families, like their own.
“Marshfield is a unique community,” Natasha said. “Because we’re somewhat isolated, I think people realized that if we don’t invest in our public spaces, no one else will. There is a strong culture of generosity, and a commitment to building things that benefit both residents and visitors.”
She sees that spirit reflected in how Marshfield supports its parks, schools, and arts — not as amenities reserved for a select few, but as shared assets the community sustains together.
Every donation moves the fund closer to expanding this essential service to other parks across the city. “Not all donors have large resources,” Jason noted. “But no matter the size, if you value parks, you can contribute a small amount knowing your gift makes a meaningful difference in your community.”
To make a donation, click here.