Senator Eldridge, Representative Caltado, and Representative Sena announce MDAR grants to food insecurity non-profit at historic Stonefield Farm in Acton

Boston Area Gleaners will receive a state grant to support efforts to fight food insecurity

BOSTON – State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Marlborough), State Representative Simon Cataldo (D-Concord), and State Representative Danillo Sena (D-Acton) announced that Boston Area Gleaners of Acton (the Gleaners) will receive two grants from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to continue their work of supplying fresh produce to hunger-relief agencies across eastern Massachusetts.

The Gleaners works with area farmers to glean, or harvest surplus crops from farmland, and distribute to local food banks and meal programs. This practices reduces gaps in food distribution, provides fresh food to pantries, and reduces farm waste.

The Gleaners will receive a total of $850,000 from two grants to support their efforts across the state. The Gleaners was awarded $100,000 from the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program to purchase a refrigerated trailer to expand storage and transportation, and the additional $750,000 from the Local Food Purchase Assistance Plus grant will go to continuing The Gleaners’s existing network of farmers and hunger-relief organizations to help provide fresh produce to those who without access to it. The grants come as part of MDAR’s efforts to provide assistance to organizations fighting food insecurity across Massachusetts.

“This grant is an incredible opportunity to help a life changing organization in our district that works hard to battle hunger in our state,” State Senator Jamie Eldridge said. “Grants like this are key to combating food insecurity both in my district and across Massachusetts. I am proud of what the Boston Area Gleaners have accomplished, and I’m excited to see what they will do with this grant. I also want to thank the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and the Healey-Driscoll administration for providing this vital grant.”

"Boston Area Gleaners is providing an important boost to food security, which continues to be one of the most pressing challenges in our region,” said State Representative Simon Cataldo. “Increasing the capacity of the Gleaners’ successful work through MDAR’s grant will help farmers, families, and our environment.”

“Boston Area Gleaners do so much to improve food access in my district and beyond. These grants allow them to distribute more fresh produce from farm partners to people in need,” said State Representative Danillo Sena.

“Boston Area Gleaners is deeply grateful to MDAR for their ongoing support of our work.  As an organization dedicated to supporting local farms and ensuring access to affordable, healthy food, these grants are critically important to our ability to expand our distribution efforts and support our network of partner farms, said Boston Area Gleaners Executive Director Usha Thakrar. “We are also fortunate to all have phenomenal support from the local Acton community as well our state legislators who tirelessly advocate on behalf of the communities we support.”

For more information about the Boston Area Gleaners, click here. For more information about this year’s grant recipients, click here. For more about the Department of Agriculture Resources, click here.

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