Sharing the Harvest community farm
Overview
Sharing the Harvest is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven community farm that was established in 2006 as a grassroots response to hunger at the local level. The farm’s mission is to alleviate hunger, promote volunteerism, and provide agricultural education on the south coast of Massachusetts.
In partnership with the United Way of New Bedford’s Hunger Commission, Sharing the Harvest is embarking on its 18th season growing food for donation to support families and individuals in need. The Hunger Commission Program partners include established pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and Council on Aging centers in the region. Both New Bedford and Fall River are among the ten poorest municipalities in Massachusetts, with some of the highest concentrations of hunger in the state. In these cities, one in three children lives in poverty, and in Bristol County, one in five children is food insecure.
We rely on volunteers to fulfill our mission to alleviate hunger. Since 2006, volunteers have contributed 87,510 hours of service in 34,000 visits to the farm! This has made it possible for us to donate 826,000 pounds of produce to those in need.
The generosity of others is at the core of our existence. It is only through the support of thousands of volunteers as well as public and private donations that we are able to serve our community. Thank you!
Food Insecurity
In the past year, a significant number of families across numerous cities and towns in Massachusetts have struggled with food insecurity, even with the expansion of aid programs during the pandemic. This was highlighted in a recent survey conducted by the MassINC Polling Group.
The survey, which involved 10,650 parents and guardians from 14 school districts, primarily located in urban areas, revealed that nearly half (47%) of the participants experienced low to extremely low levels of food security during the pandemic’s disruptions.
The surveyed districts included Chelsea, Lawrence, Fall River, Malden, Chicopee, Pittsfield, Everett, North Adams, Brockton, Framingham, Greenfield, Methuen, Attleboro, and Dartmouth. Remarkably, in 10 out of these 14 districts, over a third of the respondents indicated they faced issues related to food insecurity.
