Local nonprofits share in over $8 million in food access grantsDate: 2/27/2024 On Feb, 13, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced that the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources awarded 42 businesses grants through the Urban Agriculture Program, the Local Food Policy Council Program and the Massachusetts Food Policy Council Program.
Among the 42 businesses awarded grants, Hilltown CDC out of Chesterfield, the Quaboag Food Policy Council, Fruit Fair Supermarket in Chicopee, the Amherst Survival Center, Gardening the Community in Springfield, Grow Food Northampton and the Northampton Survival Center all received funding.
Gov. Maura Healey said in the release she was happy to support these organizations through the MDAR funding.
“One of the most effective ways to combat hunger and food insecurity in our state is to strengthen our local food systems,” she said. “We’re proud to support our community leaders who are at the heart of these critical initiatives that help to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live, has access to fresh, healthy and locally grown food.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll added in the statement that supporting these organizations was necessary.
“A strong local economy and vibrant, thriving communities aren’t possible if residents don’t have access to locally sourced produce and food,” she said. “By breaking down these barriers in our underserved neighborhoods, we’re creating a more just food system that benefits us all. We are thrilled to be able to provide the resources necessary through these programs to assist our cities and towns.”
In the statement, state Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) said it was important to strengthen local food systems.
“Strengthening our local food systems incentivizes residents to purchase their produce from urban farms and community gardens, a common practice that fosters greater public health and economic security for the region. I am thankful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for bolstering food production in the cities of Chicopee and Springfield,” he said.
Amherst Survival Center
The Amherst Survival Center received $430,000 through the grant and funds will be used to purchase more and better food for its pantry.
Amherst Survival Center Executive Director Lev BenEzra told Reminder Publishing that the grant helping them purchase more and better food options is essential as the number of people served continues to grow with issues of food insecurity ongoing.
“It’s helping and not only providing better quality and variety but also just keeping our shelves stocked,” BenEzra said. “I really do think it’s important that the capacity of an organization like the Amherst Survival Center to accept a grant like this, and be able to execute this really exciting and powerfully impactful initiative is really thanks to the broader support from the community, our volunteers, our donors, everyone who helps make the center possible because it’s only with all of those various puzzle pieces coming together that we are able to then take advantage of a huge resource like this to put more food on the shelves and provide such improved quality of choice as well as the stock of food to our shoppers.”
BenEzra credited the local food purchasing assistance grant for its design in supporting and helping local food systems in providing direct support to local farmers and producers with a focus on socially disadvantaged farmers and producers.
She added the team at the Survival Center was inspired by the grant and what it can make possible for communities, making it a worthwhile investment in applying for the grant.
“When you put together an application and something of this magnitude, it’s so exciting. We’re building connections with local farmers and producers. We were planning out what was possible and how we would be able to integrate, and it was so exciting thinking about the possibilities,” BenEzra said. “To receive that notice from the state that we received the award, I was just absolutely elated because of what it is making possible for our local food system, local farmers and producers and, most importantly for me, all the people who are relying on the Amherst Survival Center to help meet their food needs.”
BenEzra added that it was important for the broader public to understand and really see the food insecurity issues in the state and across the country are impacting most people. She noted that there are record levels of food insecurity ongoing and even in some cases, it exceeds the levels seen during COVID-19.
According to BenEzra, the Amherst Survival Center is currently serving between 40-50% more people every month through their food pantry than they did during the coronavirus pandemic.
“At this time, we just really haven’t kept pace and more people than ever, including many people who are working and sometimes even working multiple jobs are turning to the Amherst Survival Center and other similar organizations for help,” BenEzra said.
BenEzra added that they will continue to explore strategies in addressing food insecurity as the grant eventually runs up and are committed to continuing doing what they can for the community in these trying times.
Fruit Fair Supermarket, Chicopee
Fruit Fair Supermarket received $250,000 from the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program to help pay for infrastructure improvements for food storage, cold storage and food distribution.
The Massachusetts Food Ventures Program helps increase access by funding food processing infrastructure, distribution channels and retail outlet strategies at local food enterprises.
Fruit Fair Supermarket Co-owner Sam Newell said the money will go towards adding an HVAC system that will support the store and the new greenhouse that is under construction along with two new refrigerated cases.
“That way we have optimal heating and cooling throughout the year because it’s an old building. It’s like an 87-, 88-year-old building. It doesn’t have good installation, so, during winter it is really cold in the store and during the summer it’s really hot, and then the products self-life is shortened so when we add the new HVAC system and new refrigerated cases, that will help optimize the shelf life of the products,” Newell said.
Fruit Fair Supermarket is adding a greenhouse on top of its roof to grow their own vegetables and greens.
Newell said the project is on hold until she works with the bank to figure out a way to get a loan for the project before the grant serves as a reimbursement.
She added, “The whole reason we get this grant or applied for this grant is because we can never turn a profit to be able to potentially buy an $80,000 case or anything like that.”
Although Newell said she is working on ways to help kickstart the project, she added that she is grateful to have received the grant.
“It feels good, it’s good,” Newell said. “Initially when we were applying, they asked us for the work and everything and that is when we were looking into these cases, and they were like ‘that will be great’ so we were excited.”
Grow Food Northampton
One of these recipients was Grow Food Northampton, which received a $300,000 LFPA+, or a Local Food Purchase Assistance Plus, grant to partner with community-owned food cooperative River Valley Co-op for the Nourishing Our Community Project.
“The LFPA+ funding allows us to ensure that all members of our community have access to beautiful, nutrient-dense farm foods that have been grown right here in the Connecticut River Valley, including those who might not otherwise be able to afford them,” said Alisa Klein, Grow Food’s executive director. “We do this through our free Mobile Farmers Market and through our SNAP Match program at our year-round farmers markets, Tuesday Market and Winter Market in Northampton.”
Under the Nourishing Our Community Project, Grow Food and River Valley purchase produce from a strong network of socially disadvantaged farmers and distribute this food across the greater Northampton area.
According to Klein, Grow Food has purchased farm foods from 65 local farms, many of which have been marginalized or harmed by the mainstream food system.
She said they also purchase from several farm lessees on the Grow Food Northampton Community Farm, including Ras Farm, Straw Hat Farm, Song Sparrow Farm and the New Family Cooperative, which is a collective of 24 Somali Bantu refugee farmers.
“Among others, for the LFPA+ grant, we are making an effort to purchase from farmers of color, women farmers [and] LGBTQI+ farmers,” Klein added.
As far as distribution goes, all the food purchased from these farms is distributed by Grow Food Northampton’s food access staff via their Free Mobile Farmers Market program that delivers food weekly to households at nine low-income housing communities around Northampton where Grow Food has longstanding relationships.
But, according to Klein, food delivery is only part of the food distribution work.
“We work closely with our Food Access Advisory Committee, comprised of community members who grapple with food insecurity, and participant staffers — community members who participant in our food access programs — to design and implement all kinds of activities and celebrations around the local foods they are receiving from taste test events, to cooking workshops, to nutrition classes, to cook-outs and other celebrations around local food,” Klein added.
This is not the first time Grow Food Northampton and River Valley Co-op have partnered on a project in this realm. According to Klein, Grow Food partnered with River Valley after receiving an LFPA grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources two years ago. The LFPA+ grant they received this year allows the two organizations to partner again.
Grow Food Northampton is a local food and farming justice organization with a mission of building a just and resilient local food and farming system that nourishes the community and earth. Their three core components of programming are food access, land access and stewardship and community education about local food and farming.
Northampton Survival Center
The Northampton Survival Center received an LFPA+ grant of $50,000 to expand its food purchase and distribution power through new partnerships with farmers, produces, and food distribution centers.
In a statement to Reminder Publishing, Heidi Nortonsmith, the executive director of the Northampton Survival Center, said that the LFPA+ grant is helping them purchase local eggs and milk for their clients.
According to Nortonsmith, the milk and eggs will be distributed through the center’s delivery program.
“The delivery program was something we started when the pandemic began, and it has become such an important cornerstone of our programming that we’ve recently strengthened and expanded it to bring the same quantity and quality of foods that clients are used to receiving when they visit our food pantries,” Nortonsmith said. “The LFPA+ grant award makes it possible for these very popular and costly items to go out to every delivery site, and helps support local farmers like the Our Family Farms dairies and local egg producers, further benefiting our region’s agricultural system.”
The Northampton Survival Center is an emergency food provider with a network of pantries across greater Northampton.
Quaboag Valley Food Policy Council
The Ware-based Quaboag Valley Food Policy Council received $20,000 from the MDAR’s Urban Agriculture Program. The council was created with an MDAR grant in 2023 to address food insecurity and access in Ware and several surrounding communities. With that funding, the council was able to start a Community Food Assessment and seek feedback from community members to identify their needs. This year’s grant will allow the council to expand beyond the original municipalities of Belchertown, Brimfield, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Holland, Monson, North Brookfield, Palmer, Wales, Ware, Warren and West Brookfield, to include Ludlow, Wilbraham, Barre, Hardwick, New Braintree and Spencer.
Quaboag Valley Food Policy Council Coordinator Caitlin Geaghan said the council is looking to expand representation among its members to reflect all of the communities that it serves. As it stands, roughly 20 people are regularly involved in the organization’s monthly meetings. The initiatives and food access programs the council introduces will be based on the Community Food Assessment and the input of council members.
More information about the council can be found at healthyquaboag.org.
Hilltown CDC in Chesterfield received $14,065.67 through the Urban Agriculture Program and $200,000 through the Local Food Policy Council Program and Gardening the Community in Springfield received $177,000 through the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program. Neither of these recipients responded to a request for comment by press time.
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