Community Spotlight: Grow Food Northampton
Meet our April 2024 Community Spotlight organization! Grow Food Northampton’s mission is to create a just and resilient local food and farming system that nourishes our community and protects and enriches the earth. Founded in 2010 to protect 121 acres of farmland in Florence from development and grow our local food system, Grow Food Northampton (GFN) has since grown to include extensive programming on the land and throughout the community in Northampton.
We spoke with Communications Manager Niki Lankowski about the organization’s work in the community, as well as which projects GFN is looking forward to expanding in the year ahead.
How would you describe the impact of your organization’s work?
Grow Food Northampton works along a public health continuum to not just meet the immediate needs of community members who are grappling with food insecurity by delivering fresh local produce and other local farm foods to them; we are developing infrastructure and a foundation for a robust and just local food and farming system for the long term. We provide access to local food, access to land to grow food, and educational resources so everyone in our community can grow food for themselves, their families, and our community, as gardeners and farmers.
GFN’s programs are doing inspiring work to advance our mission, including stewarding the 121-acre Grow Food Northampton Community Farm, where we:
Lease low-cost farmland to 10 small farms (including four farms owned and operated by farmers of color, as well as a collective of 20 Somali Bantu refugee families)
Run a 325-plot organic Community Garden for over 400 community members, more than 35% of whom receive subsidized plots to grow food for themselves and their families
Provide extensive land- and food-based educational programming for children and adults
In 2023, GFN created community gardens at eight public housing sites in Northampton and Florence.
Grow Food Northampton also:
Conducts free Mobile Farmers Markets that support local farms by buying their produce and delivering it to between 8 and 16 low-income neighborhoods in Northampton and Florence— while also conducting healthy food programming and installing and maintaining community gardens at the housing sites
Runs vibrant year-round farmers markets—Tuesday Market and Winter Market—that offer over 40 local farms and other food vendors a venue to connect directly with customers
Runs a SNAP Match program to more than double the spending power of SNAP recipients on nutritious local farm products at our farmers markets
Ensures that all of our food access programming is guided and steered by our Food Access Advisory Committee and Participant-Staffers, individuals with lived experience of food insecurity
GFN offers educational workshops for all ages, often partnering with Northampton Public Schools.
What programs or projects are you most excited about developing or expanding over the coming years, and why?
In 2023, Grow Food Northampton created and expanded community gardens at eight public housing sites in Northampton and Florence. The gardens offer plots that residents can sign up for to grow the produce of their choosing. GFN supplies free seedlings in the spring, mentorship for beginning gardeners, and tools and other resources so residents of low-income housing communities are able to experience food sovereignty—the ability to choose and grow culturally relevant food of their choosing.
At other low-income housing sites, GFN has supported residents in planting small doorway gardens and container gardens for porches and balconies. This new and exciting project has been tremendously well-received by residents. In the first season of the project, participants reported increased joy and satisfaction around growing their own food as well as increased community connection and better mental and physical health outcomes. These gardens at public housing represent an important part of GFN’s mission to create a just and resilient local food system, giving residents the power and tools to grow their own food. Imagining the future of these spaces is inspiring, with residents taking on leadership roles and the expansion that is possible.
GFN conducts free Mobile Farmers Markets, supporting local farms by buying their produce and delivering it to low-income neighborhoods in Northampton and Florence.
Equally exciting is the future of educational offerings at GFN. With the hiring of a dedicated Education Manager in 2023, and the recent hiring of a Farm and Land Stewardship Manager this spring, we have already begun planning a robust calendar of Community Farm-based and other educational events for all ages.
GFN is working with all grades of the Northampton Public Schools, holding workshops on topics from Indigenous foodways to teaching about climate-resilient growing practices and collaborating with local partners.
What is one simple thing an individual can start doing that could make a difference in the lives of those you serve?
A strong and vibrant local food system is the goal of our work. Anyone can help make this possible by centering local food in their life. Start by purchasing local food, getting to know our area farmers or growing your own food.
If folks would like to get involved as a volunteer, donor, or benefactor, where should they go to learn more about your organization?
We invite folks to stay in touch with Grow Food Northampton by getting on our mailing list and following us on Facebook and Instagram. Those interested in volunteer opportunities can sign up here to learn about current happenings.
