Bringing the Farm to East Boston

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December 14, 2020

In July, we embarked on a mission with The Food Project to bring farm-fresh vegetables to East Boston to feed low-income families impacted by COVID-19. In May, it was just a bold idea with no funding behind it. As we continued to see photos of long emergency food lines in East Boston and announcements that East Boston had become a COVID hot spot, we decided to put pen to paper and raise funds as a business for this project. For our team, it was personal. Many of the folks in these lines were from immigrant communities and formerly employed by the restaurant industry that was just starting to crash.

We took a trip to East Boston and met with The Food Project and Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Inc to start planning. Months later, we raised $50,000 and provided 5,000 meals and 5,000 grocery bags. Click here for a photoblog of how our partnership with our customers, community organizations, and the City of Boston made the project a success. And special thanks to everyone who donated. Your continuous support made it possible for our team to stay engaged in what we do best-making real foods taste delicious and sharing them with our neighbors.

In May, The Food Project, our farm partners, launched its Farming for Resiliency Fund and made the decision to pivot their normal programming and “grow as much food as possible” at the start of the pandemic. They committed to delivering free crates of vegetables to our kitchen doorstep each week.

Our chefs made it their responsibility to put the Fresh Food Generation stamp on every dish. The arugula and spinach salads became a hit at the East Boston sites. We paired it with more of our traditional items like Spanish rice and red bean stew.

The City of Boston’s Resiliency Fund awarded us a grant which allowed us to double the meals and food. In addition to the Food Project’s vegetables, we were able to provide grains and fruit. Families received a total of 8 meals per package.

Our team delivered the food to Neighborhood of Affordable Housing every Tuesday for 12 weeks. Staff and volunteers led food distribution for 120 families and added PPE Equipment and toiletries. Volunteers and food recipients showed up rain and shine.

Your continuous support made it possible for our team to stay engaged in what we do best -making real foods, taste delicious, and sharing them with our neighbors. We’re also thankful to our partners, The Food Project and Neighborhood of Affordable Housing for helping us Bring the Farm to East Boston.

Please support The Food Project’s fundraiser here and let our farmers know that Jackson and Cassandria, alums of the program, sent you.

Bringing the Farm to East Boston

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