Grow Food Northampton Inc

Grow Food Northampton’s supporters are creating a local food system that works for everyone – including farmers, farmworkers, kids, gardeners, low-income neighbors, and everyone who needs to eat.

Tuesday Market. We're thrilled to have taken on Northampton Tuesday Market as our newest program! Founders Ben James and Oona Coy built a market that is committed to local food for all, enhancing the livelihoods of farmers and the quality of life for customers of all incomes.

Farmland for Farmers & Jobs for Farmworkers. Our 121-acre Northampton Community Farm provides farmland for four farms to thrive, growing their families and businesses while providing fresh, local food to the community. This land was purchased in 2011 with YOUR investments in a vision for not just talking about sustainability and fairness, but making it happen! Crimson & Clover Farm’s 400-share CSA and Sawmill Farm’s 50-share herb CSA will be joined by two new farmers in 2016; at least 12 people rely on our land for part or all of their income!

Food for Everyone. Much of the food grown on the farms is available to neighbors who participate in SNAP or other programs designed to stretch purchasing power for those with low incomes. We use YOUR contributions and the support of  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundationand and local businesses to further reduce barriers so that EVERYONE can eat local:

• Senior Farm Shares - 10 weeks of vegetables for low-income senior citizens at $1 per week, delivered to the Senior Center. 70 shares in 2016!
• Shares at Crimson & Clover and Sawmill Herb Farm sold at half price to members who pay with SNAP benefits. 30 shares in 2016!
• Volunteer-powered Giving Garden grew over 6,500 pounds of fresh vegetables and delivered them to local soup kitchens and Northampton Survival Center.
• Tuesday Market matched the first $10 spent with SNAP benefits each week, resulting in $25,000 in local food purchases by low-income families.!
• Our new "Red Bag" farm share program, developed in partnership with Families With Power, distributed a 10-week fall share of Crimson & Clover Farm vegetebles to 25 low-income families at Jackson Street School at a cost of $2/week.

Before we found the Grow Food Northampton farm share voucher program our diet consisted of mac and cheese canned beans and hot dogs. Now we eat fistfuls of kale and spinach and the kids are connecting with the growing and harvesting of different crops. We walk from Meadowbrook Apts to Crimson and Clover Farm. We pick out veggies and then spend time in the field and on their swing set. We pet the cat and the pigs and watch everything grow. It has made such an impression on my kids… Thank you for this beautiful change you have brought into our lives. ~ Rebecca

Kids on the Farm. Over 1,200 public school children from Northampton and surrounding communities will visit the farm and Tuesday Market this school year, where professional educators teach about the benefits of local food and engage kids in planting, harvesting, and other farm activities. We are also visiting dozens of classrooms to teach about preparing local food, seed starting, food justice, and other food system issues.

When I got home I ate the carrot I picked.  It was the best carrot I ever had!  It inspired me to be a farmer when I grow up.  ~ Noah

Gardens for All. Our Organic Community Garden provides 265 plots, along with access to education, compost and other resources. With YOUR support, we are able to make plots  vailable for $8 per year for low-income families to grow their own vegetables. We translate our Garden Bulletin and registration packet into Spanish and work hard to reach out to and support a diverse group of gardeners.

With YOUR SUPPORT, we will help fulfill your vision of a community where everyone has access to healthy, local food from healthy, local farms.