Supporting Greater Food Security in the Mount Grace Region - Updates

The Orange Farmers’ Market is seeking volunteers to assist during the market on Thursdays 3-6pm. The market is one of the sites approved to accept SNAP benefits and the Healthy Incentive Program (HIP), which provides an extra $40 in matching funds for each member of the household. Volunteers would be trained to use the iPad app for HIP/SNAP transactions and to be an ambassador for both HIP and the market. Volunteer help is also needed with set up at the beginning and pack up at the end of market if you can’t commit to staying the entire time. Contact Pat Larson at plarson343@ gmail.com for more details and to sign up.  

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Join us on Tuesday 6/14 at 7pm for “Working Toward Justice on the Land: A North Quabbin Conversation,” at the Athol Public Library. Part of the Crossroads Smithsonian Museum on Mainstreet exhibit event series coordinated by Quabbin Food Connector, this panel will discuss issues of land access, exclusion, rematriation, race, and the economics of food systems. Who gets to access and own farmland? How can we widen access?  Local organizations that are grappling with these issues will be present and will share some of their thought processes and current actions.  Moderated by Cathy Stanton, Quabbin Harvest Food Co-op Board President, Tufts University Dept of Anthropology.  Registration through the Athol Public Library website is appreciate - click HERE.

Panelists will include:

Jennifer Albertine, Climate and Land Justice Specialist/Conservation and Stewardship Associate, Mount Grace Land Trust, Athol

Michael Del Rio, Farmer Teacher, the Farm School, Athol

Nalini Goordial, Owner, Kitchen Wizardry, Orange

Deb Habib, Co-Founder, Seeds of Solidarity Education Center and Farm, Orange

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Mount Grace and Quabbin Harvest Food Co-op will be partnering up for a fun demonstration of our shared work supporting small local farmers at the Orange River Fest on Saturday 6/24. We’ll be entering a canoe in the lighted canoe parade, decorated by volunteers for the theme “Helping Keep Farmers Afloat.”  If you’re interested in helping decorate, email quabbinharvest@ gmail.com. We hope you can join us and cheer on the paddlers, parade begins at 9pm!

In 2013, the local member-owned food cooperative Quabbin Harvest approached Mount Grace. They had outgrown their space, and wanted to expand, but needed help. Seeing the connection to our work to protect farms and the relationships between the co-op and local farmers, Mount Grace purchased a building in downtown Orange to house the growing food cooperative. The store, Quabbin Harvest, provides healthy food at affordable prices, builds community, and directly supports local agriculture.