The Sudbury Foundation: Supporting Work That Goes Beyond Food Insecurity

Last year, Gaining Ground’s board and staff gathered over Zoom to participate in a workshop held by Jeff Rogers. Jeff is a leadership coach and facilitator who specializes in helping groups to collectively develop ideas and action steps to increase equity within organizations.  He knows how to get important conversations to happen. Teams discussed the […]

Special Thanks from Our 2022 Season

The board and staff would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who gave generously and shared their time and talents with Gaining Ground last season. Special thanks go to: Belmont Day School, Thoreau Elementary School, Tenacre Country Day School, and all of the individual students who participated in our 2022 virtual Read […]

Visit Gaining Ground and Enjoy Poetry on the Farm

The arrival of spring signals many important events on the farm—including our annual Poetry on the Farm exhibit! We are again installing a self-guided farm tour featuring poems authored by Gaining Ground recipients, partner organizations, and poets throughout our community. Poetry on the Farm kicks off on Saturday, April 29, and will continue through Friday, […]

Listen to Gaining Ground on GBH’s Under the Radar with Callie Crossley

Executive Director Jennifer Johnson, along with Catherine D’Amato from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Kannan Thiruvengadam from Eastie Farm, recently spoke with Callie Crossley on GBH Radio’s Under the Radar. Click here to listen to this insightful conversation about rising food insecurity since the pandemic and the importance of improving access to foods that […]

Help Us Celebrate Poetry on the Farm

For the third year in a row, we’re marking the arrival of spring with a celebration of poetry, food, nature, and farming. This month-long event will feature poems authored by Gaining Ground clients, partner organizations, and poets throughout our community. The poetry installation will take the form of a self-guided tour throughout our farm and […]

Something Rich to Be Shared

I had a feast a few weeks ago with friends on a day where the high reached 8 F and the low dipped to minus 18 F. We enjoyed raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, hash browns, scrambled eggs, French toast, and to top it all off, maple syrup from the farm. And while the sweetness filled our […]

The Season of Planning

I am excited to share with you my crop planning process, which brings me boundless joy during these colder months. Winter provides a time for a slower pace, and dreaming about the growth of the next season!        Crop planning is a complex process that involves both artistic and scientific approaches, especially because we work the […]

New Board Member Spotlight: Katie Bekel

At Gaining Ground, we are grateful for the diverse, insightful, and compassionate voices and perspectives that support and guide the farm. We are thrilled to welcome Katie Bekel to our board of directors and to take this opportunity to learn a bit more about the newest member of the Gaining Ground team. How did you […]

We’re Hiring! 2023 Assistant Grower/Assistant Volunteer Leader

Update: This position has been filled. Gaining Ground is a 3 acre non-profit, no-till, organic farm in Concord, MA that grows produce for 15 hunger relief organizations with the help of community volunteers. We donate 100% of the food we grow.  In the 2022 growing season we grew over 115,000 pounds of produce, supplying more […]

Local Farms and Resilience: The No-Till Experiment

Eric Toensmeier, of Project Drawdown, writes, “We can’t mitigate climate change without agriculture, so we have to find ways for agriculture to be part of the solution, instead of part of the problem.” How can local farms play a role in the solution? Two area farms—Gaining Ground in Concord and The Good Food Farm in Ashby—have embarked on […]

Farming for Hunger Relief

Farmers keep the world nourished. However we get the fruits and vegetables that we eat, we know that they arrive to us thanks to people who work with the soil, sun, and rain to bring crops from seed to harvest.  Uniquely, Gaining Ground’s farmers know that the produce they grow goes exclusively to people who […]

Holding in the Heat: A Closer Look at Our Winter Farming Practices

Winter is officially here and although the pace on the farm has eased, our harvests don’t take a holiday this time of year. We’ve continued to distribute crops like arugula, bok choy, carrots, mustard greens, and spinach this month, and will continue to do so throughout the season. Winter farming is critical to our efforts […]

What’s the Plan?

As Paul Simon sang to me yesterday, “Make a new plan, Stan.” Every five or so years, Gaining Ground is tasked with creating a new strategic plan. It’s an opportunity for the board of directors and the staff to steer the organization toward ambitious goals and new horizons. Our latest plan, formally adopted in November […]

We’re Hiring! 2023 Field Crew Member

Update: This position has been filled. Gaining Ground is hiring for a 2023 Field Crew Member. Learn more about this farming job opportunity and how to apply.

Volunteer Spotlight: The Guild for Human Services

“Last time we were at the farm, it was really cool,” said Shawn Massak. “We set up two of the accessible gardening beds, which was great because it really connects into what some of our population experiences.”  Shawn works as the employment services manager for The Guild for Human Services, helping to provide job training […]

Our Thanksgiving Distribution Brings Winter Food Insecurity into Focus

On Saturday, we held our annual pre-Thanksgiving distribution of fresh, organic produce in Concord. In coordination with Concord and Carlisle’s Councils on Aging and Community Services, we use this final Food for Families market to give away hefty amounts of nutritious greens and storage crops to more than 100 households experiencing food insecurity.  At this […]

Sometimes It’s the Little Things

An Appreciation Post for the Gear That Keeps Our Farmers Going The farm’s first hard frost this season didn’t hit until November. Despite the gentleness with which we transitioned from summer to fall, the cold weather is now officially upon us. The change in seasons means the farmers have now fully rotated the clothes they […]

A Big Picture Look at Beekeeping on the Farm

Five years ago I accepted the responsibility of taking care of the honey bee colonies at Gaining Ground. At that time, I was looking for opportunities to learn more about beekeeping in the northern hemisphere and about sustainable agriculture. I was hooked as soon as I learned about the farm’s hunger-relief mission, and felt lucky […]

Partner Spotlight: Eastie Farm

When we talk with our hunger-relief partner Eastie Farm about their work over the past year, the first thing they mention is the need.  The need for better access to affordable food in East Boston. The need for fresh, organic produce. The need for equitable opportunities for health and well-being. “There is one grocery store […]
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