Food Access Program

To address issues of food insecurity, New Entry Food Hub established a low-income food access initiative in 2008.  Food insecure households are challenged to access affordable, locally-grown fresh fruits and vegetables that are a necessary component of a healthy diet.  New Entry continually seeks philanthropic community support for the specific purpose of supporting the low-income food access program.

In 2020, our Food Access initiatives were ramped up due to the joblessness and food insecurity brought on by COVID-19. We provided fresh fruits and vegetables to over 10,000 individuals, amounting to over $100,000 of locally-grown produce to low-income families, seniors and children.  A total of 30 farmers per year benefit through earned income from sales to low-income communities. The food access program is not possible without financial support to close the gap between what consumers can afford and what farmers need to cover costs of production and earn a living wage. We rely on donations, grant resources, and your CSA membership to fund our food access work.

Over the last several years, we have also worked closely with the UMass Nutrition Assessment Laboratory to evaluate our Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, sponsored by Beth Israel Lahey Health.  Read more about the impacts of this innovative program in our annual evaluation reports:

• 2021 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Evaluation Report
• 2022 Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Evaluation Report

Click Here To Donate

*All donations are tax deductible and may be matched by your employer.

What can your donation do?

$25 will purchase a half-bushel of produce for a local hunger relief organization

$50 will purchase a bushel of produce for a local hunger relief organization

$100 will purchase a CSA share for a family receiving SNAP

$250 will purchase a CSA share for a food insecure senior

$500 will purchase a CSA share for a family

$1000 will provide a micro-loan to a beginning or immigrant farmer

$5,000 and up can fully fund free produce distribution in a low-income community

Our Goals:

-To increase access for low-income individuals to affordable, healthy local food options

- To increase income earned by small, local farmers through market expansion to low-income communities

We are grateful for New Entry’s donors, partners, and customers who continue to raise funds for this important low-income food access subsidy.