Gaining Ground’s primary objective for 2026 is simple: grow more food. With soaring rates of food insecurity in 2025, Gaining Ground is positioned to grow a record-setting harvest this year. 

Director of Agriculture Mark Congdon anticipates growing upwards of 150,000 lbs of produce this year to help meet the demand from our 18 partner organizations that connect this food with people experiencing food insecurity. 

“The quality and produce has helped feed so many individuals this summer. It’s always a pleasure to continue our partnership.”  -Samuel Cortes, Lowell Transitional Living Center, Lowell

After a season of building soil fertility at our expansion fields in the Minuteman National Historical Park, we expect to double production of food grown there. A bounty of butternut, delicata, and acorn squash, eggplant, cantaloupe, watermelon and fresh herbs, will provide thousands of servings of nutritious food. In 2026, we will plant fields of blueberries and raspberries – perfect for healthy snacking and a sweet treat. A one-acre wildflower buffer will also be introduced  to attract beneficial insects and pollinators, increase biodiversity, and reduce soil erosion and runoff.

Gaining Ground prioritizes growing and donating food that people want to cook with and eat. In addition to the 50+ varieties of crops we grow – common favorites like onions, carrots, zucchini, lettuce, and tomatoes – we are always working with our partner organizations to ensure the food they receive fits the cultural preferences of their particular communities. This year we will introduce a new African variety of the popular jilo eggplant, as well as nutrient superfoods upland cress, a peppery specialty green, and bitter melon, popular in Indian and Asian cooking. 

“It’s important to recognize the profound power of culturally appropriate food. For many clients, a ‘taste of home’ is all they have left.” – David Blais, Daniel’s Table, Framingham

As food insecurity continues to plague too many of our neighbors, Gaining Ground is committed to finding ways to grow and help meet this need with dignity, compassion, and a bounty of good, healthy food.