The Food Project

The Food Project, a nonprofit organization that connects local youth with sustainable farming opportunities, has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Food Trust Program. The funding will be utilized to help produce a distribution network for corner stores in the Dudley Square neighborhood. The Food Project operates 70 acres of sustainable vegetable farms in Lincoln, Beverly, Boston, Lynn, and in Wenham.

As one of the leaders in the fields of youth development, sustainable agriculture, and food justice, The Food Project has been working hard to increase food access in the Dudley neighborhood of Boston. They currently grow and distribute produce in the area and have launched several farmers markets in low-income neighborhoods within Boston and Lynn.

Since 1991, The Food Project has incubated numerous healthy food access initiatives including mobile markets, SNAP-accessible CSA programs, value-added processing, and were proud to oversee the first farmers markets in the state which accepted EBT payments and offered SNAP matches.

In addition to the initiatives they have led, The Food Project has been able to establish a rich network within the community filled with strong partnerships with local organizations. In the past they have partnered with the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) to help identify local businesses’ capacity to sell fresh produce and recently worked with Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) to facilitate a resident-led food system assessment and plan.

We are happy to support The Food Project as they take their next steps toward food system planning in Dudley. We acknowledge their longstanding commitment to food justice and are excited to see what conversations emerge with the City of Boston around a city-wide distribution network.

Images provided by Hannah Ladesic (The Food Project)