Each year more than 3,000 volunteers lend their hands and hearts to Gaining Ground. We rely on their generosity just as fruits and vegetables rely on water, rich soil, and sunshine. Their time, energy, and spirit nourish every part of our work and without them, we simply couldn’t grow the food or the community needed to fight hunger with care and dignity. 

Alison Hong began volunteering with Gaining Ground as part of her pilot-program-turned nonprofit Doing Circle in 2024. Alison immediately became engaged and enthusiastic about the work. Ditto for the women she brought with her. We spoke with Allison about her non-profit, why Gaining Ground was a natural fit, and what she and others have learned about the beauty of life cycles on the farm.

How did you learn about Gaining Ground?

I stumbled on Gaining Ground through a lot of Google searching, and I’m so happy I did. As a backstory, I launched a pilot program called Doing Circle—which is now a nonprofit—last January. We have about 100 women who are members. The goal is for women in midlife to find community and connection through volunteering, learning and sharing. I was searching online for something in the Boston Metro area that aligned with our mission and was hands-on. Gaining Ground met all of those.

What have your volunteers’ experiences been like?

The volunteers love how much we learn at Gaining Ground, whether it’s the techniques we’re using, where the produce is going, the history and future of the farm. It’s so educational.

It’s also accessible, and one of my goals with Doing Circle is to break down the barriers that are often in the way of people who want to volunteer. People’s lives are busy, whether it’s family, work, or the many other things we have on our plates as people…Gaining Ground is perfect. Someone can come once or multiple times, on a Saturday or during the week. I signed up for different sessions in the spring and again in the fall to enable people with different schedules to participate.

Before getting involved with Gaining Ground, what was your connection to food and nutrition insecurity?

I’ve been involved in addressing food insecurity since I was young – starting with The Walk for Hunger in middle school, which I later introduced to my own kids. In high school, I coordinated efforts at my school to raise awareness about the issue and organized fundraising for Oxfam within the broader community. As an anthropology major in college, I explored food instability through an academic lens.

As an adult, I’ve helped coordinate community service programs at my children’s schools, including hands-on events to raise awareness about food insecurity in the Greater Boston area. I’ve also volunteered with local nonprofits—from food pantries to meal programs—that are working directly on this issue. I’ve always believed that access to fresh, healthy food matters, and I try to support efforts—like CSAs and local initiatives—that help make that possible for more people.

What’s an example of some of the tasks on the farm you like doing?

The day we got to harvest the scallions was exciting—seeing fully-grown produce at its peak. There have also been several times where we did a lot of weeding, which was sort of therapeutic. It was fun, especially when one of the farmers stayed with us so she could talk to us. We learned a lot. And planting tiny seedlings was satisfying—just seeing the different life cycles and how things grow on the farm. It’s inspiring to be out in a place with so much life and beauty, with everything growing and learning how it’s growing and the science behind it.

Which Gaining Ground plant do you aspire to be like?

Kale. At Gaining Ground, the kale looks so healthy, vibrant and alive.