The first time I visited Gaining Ground I was in third grade with a school group. I was really impressed by the selflessness of the farmers: growing so much organic food, to then donate to charity. I had been looking for ways to positively influence those in need, and I decided that this was a […]
Fresh, locally grown cucumbers, kale, spinach, apples, berries, and more… That’s breakfast for many homeless and low-income men and women living in the Lowell area! How? These delicious vegetables are turned into free healthy breakfast smoothies thanks to a new partnership with Gaining Ground and other produce providers. Breakfast smoothies are a major component of […]
Concord resident Kenzie Thomas started volunteering at Gaining Ground five years ago. A member of the National Charity League, she takes on a wide variety of activities with great enthusiasm. She has curated an art exhibit at Concord Art Association, worked as a lifeguard, and at a local farm to table restaurant. Carlisle resident Claire […]
Mark your calendar and gather together at Gaining Ground for a community harvest celebration on Sunday, September 18! Listen to Twisted Pine, a new roots band with an unbridled, contagious spirit. Purchase locally sourced sandwiches, salads and dessert from pop-up restaurant or bring your own lunch. Participate in cider making, art projects, treasure hunt and games. WHEN Sunday, […]
Gaining Ground has a strong team of 16 riders participating in its first year of the Three Squares New England Ride for Food, a bike ride on Sunday, September 25 that raises funds to eliminate hunger in New England. The team has pledged to raise at least $10,000 with a portion benefitting Gaining Ground directly. […]
After you go to all the trouble of building a barn by hand—from cutting every last joint to raising it by hand, resulting in a structure that will last for generations—you really can’t crown it with some made-in-China, mail-order weathervane. That would be like Alice Waters plating up Twinkies for dessert at Chez Panisse. It […]
For over twenty years, students from many local schools have helped fight hunger by participating in our Read for Seeds program. This unique program links fundraising, education, and community action. Led by Pam Goar, long-time board member, Read for Seeds pays for almost 70% of the seeds needed to grow 60 different vegetables annually. This […]
I am writing this after the sun has gone down on the longest day of the year. Looking back on the day, it seems like a lot can be done with fifteen hours of light fueling you. All of us farmers started the morning with our regular Tuesday walk around, observing how the fields have […]
Although it was just the seed of an idea in March, June’s rollout of produce to our partner organizations is now transitioning into a steady weekly rhythm of harvesting, washing, boxing, weighing and loading. Our partners include: Tuesdays: Head Start, House of Hope, Loaves & Fishes, Pine Street Inn, Sudbury Food Pantry Thursdays: Bedford Food […]
This year Gaining Ground welcomed two talented, hard-working individuals to our Board: Theresa Cohen and Elisabeth Elden. Believing that everyone is entitled to clean, nutritious food, Theresa Cohen is delighted to join the Gaining Ground board. Trained as a civil engineer, she has worked for an environmental consulting business, built a recycling business with her […]
Did you know that Project Bread’s 2014 Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts found that the food insecurity rate has increased by 71% over the past ten years? This year, Gaining Ground will be participating in the Three Squares New England Ride for Food, a bike ride that raises funds to eliminate hunger in New England. The Details This year’s ride […]
On a blustery Sunday in May, Gaining Ground donors and friends gathered to celebrate our completed barn. This new structure will advance all aspects of our mission and will be the center of life at the farm. Our barn will protect our equipment and supplies — the essentials for growing more food. It will provide produce storage […]
Spring at Gaining Ground reminds me of the beginning of Richard Wilbur’s poem “Seed Leaves:” Here something stubborn comes Dislodging the earth crumbs And making crusty rubble It comes up bending double And looks like a green staple. It could be seedling maple, Or artichoke, or bean That remains to be seen. Spring at the […]
I wander around the farm as dusk settles in on this silent spring night, and I pause knowing this is the calm before the storm. This spring marks the beginning of my fourth season of growing at Gaining Ground. Which means I have walked all around and over this piece of land. Back and forth […]
We are a five-person farm crew again this season, with Doug and Kayleigh co-managing the farm, Coleman Wadsworth and Alexis Mantis as our two seasonal apprentices, and Paula Jordan as Head Start mobile market manager. Coleman grew up nearby in Newton, Massachusetts. College led him to the University of Vermont, where he studied zoology and […]
For farms, winter means more time to plan, and this year’s focus has been to streamline our volunteer sign-up process. We want our volunteers to spend less time in their planning and more enjoyable time in the planting and harvesting. Our website now offers real-time calendars so volunteers see what dates and times are likely […]
The Board and Staff would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those supporters who have given generously and shared their time and talents with Gaining Ground through the winter and early spring in 2016. Special thanks go to: Jeff Clements, Bouke Noordzij, and David Outerbridge for loading, unloading, and stacking all that wood […]
Please contact us if you would like to help with these or other donations! Vermont garden cart Supply of wax boxes and banana boxes DeWalt cordless drill Stihl chainsaw Stanley FatMax tape measure Klein 4-piece screwdriver set Tarps Felco hand pruners Small baskets
Everyone has a food story. It just seems to take a little talking to learn it. Working with Gaining Ground volunteers over the years, I have heard many stories that I collected like slips of paper. It was just this year that I realized how these food stories come from all types of people. There […]
In the spring, we asked our community to help us raise funds to build a barn. New and long-time donors, foundations, and our Board have responded, and a barn is coming. A dedicated group of our Staff, Board, and consultants, led by Board member Jeff Young, has been working on design and siting all summer. […]
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