Partner Spotlight: Healthy Waltham

This month we paused to catch up with our recipient partner Healthy Waltham, which promotes collaborative approaches to improving the health and wellness of under-resourced populations in Waltham. They do this through programs that increase access to healthy foods, provide nutrition education, and create opportunities for physical activity.  We spoke with Operations Director Maria DiMaggio […]

Gaining Ground Welcomes Exciting Additions to its Board of Directors

CONCORD, Mass., October 8, 2021—Gaining Ground, a Concord nonprofit farm growing organic produce exclusively for hunger relief, today announced the appointment of long-time supporter and board member Polly Vanasse as board president, and the addition of four new members to its board of directors: Laurie Engdahl, Ashley Perssico, Guillermo Ruiz-Rico, and Kristen Van Damm.  These […]

Women Who Farm: The Joys—and Challenges—of Farming as a Woman

Last month, we shared some of the insights and experiences of the incredible women who make up our 2021 farm team. It has been a delight to have such a thoughtful, dedicated, and skilled group of farmers with us at Gaining Ground this growing season. Women farmers can face gender-specific barriers as they navigate their […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Rae Axner

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Rae Axner. How did […]

Swapping Homework for Farm Work and Helping to Feed a Community

Every year, the farm welcomes an amazing team of local high school students who devote themselves—during their precious summer vacation months—to volunteering with us in the fields.  They help our farmers—in the searing heat and the pounding rain—with soil preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, and so much more. These weekly efforts of the high school farm […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Kim Schmidt

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Greenhouse Manager Kim Schmidt. Where are […]

Challenging Weather Can’t Dampen Gaining Ground’s Commitment to Hunger Relief

This story ran in the September 3 print edition of the Concord Journal. CONCORD, MASS. – This summer has been a season of extremes. It was the hottest June on record for Boston and July was the wettest in Massachusetts history. These conditions have brought unprecedented pressure from diseases and pests to the fields at […]

Join Us for This Year’s Ag Day Festivities!

The 16th Annual Concord Ag Day is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 11, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Ag Day is a once-a-year celebration of local agriculture organized by the Concord Agriculture Committee. The event showcases the bounty of Concord’s many farms right at the end of the summer, when harvests are as diverse, […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Chrissie Edgeworth

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Assistant Grower Chrissie Edgeworth. Where is […]

When It Rains, It Pours: A Look at the Growing Season so Far

It’s nearly September, and we’re well past the official midway point of the summer, which was August 7.  During the second half of summer, the effects of the southward shift of the sun quickly become apparent on the farm. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, when autumn officially arrives in September, the sun will set in […]

Volunteer Spotlight: Barb Sommers

At Gaining Ground, we’re fortunate to have a community of volunteers who embody the spirit of generosity. One such volunteer—who has shown incredible dedication and warmth to our farm and farmers this season—is Barb Sommers. Barb joins us on the farm nearly every week—toiling in rain or shine—from nearby Acton. This is her first year […]

A Throughline from Food Access to Health Equity

We know that food security in Massachusetts—and throughout the country—is caused by many interconnected social and economic conditions. The effects of the pandemic have added yet another layer of complexity to the issue.  Looking at the populations that have been hit hardest by both food insecurity and COVID-19, it is clear that access to food—or […]

A Closer Look at a Farm Favorite: Garlic

Some crops that we grow have a singular presence on the farm. Some have a similar bearing on our cuisine. Garlic is one special crop that manages to have both. On a normal year, we harvest our garlic from the fields the week of the Fourth of July. It’s not quite like clockwork, but it’s […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Avery Indermaur

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get started with Field Crew Member Avery Indermaur. Avery, […]

Meet This Year’s Farm Team: Ava Lublin

Our 2021 farm crew is flush with knowledgeable, talented, and overall delightful human beings. At Gaining Ground, we believe good things are meant to be shared, so we want to take the opportunity to introduce you to this year’s team, one member at a time.  Let’s get to know Field Crew Member Ava Lublin. Ava, […]

Learn About Gaining Ground Inside and Out

Have you ever wondered how Gaining Ground grows so much food on such a small piece of land? Do you have questions about how our produce reaches local individuals and families experiencing food insecurity? Would you like to learn how Gaining Ground organically manages pests and weeds to maximize yields?  We have a great opportunity […]

From Concord to California, Read for Seeds Brings Us Together

This year, Gaining Ground was surprised—and delighted—to have a new school participating in our Read for Seeds program from far off in sunny California! Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Raymond J. Fisher Middle School in Los Gatos joined us in our Concord-based efforts to grow vegetables for folks without enough to eat.  And we […]

Partner Spotlight: Daniel’s Table Provides More Than Meals in Framingham

Our newest recipient partner is Daniel’s Table, which provides food and nutritional education to folks struggling with food insecurity in Framingham. Gaining Ground’s communications manager, Christine Savage, recently interviewed Daniel’s Table’s co-founder, Alicia Blais, about the organization’s mission, programming, and what they’re getting up to this busy summer. Alicia, could you please give us an […]

Through the Eyes of a Young Farmer

Growing up in Chicago, summer was always my favorite season. It meant wiffle ball in the streets, ice cream cones larger than my face, lightning bugs, movies in the park, running through sprinklers, and annual camping trips. But as I’ve gotten older and travelled around more, spring is something I look forward to most. It’s […]
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