Commons Governance Work Group
Our Mission: We seek to assist in the creation of an integral model of co-governance that can be applied both within existing and emergent commons in various developmental stages and contexts. The Commons Defined: We understand the commons to be a sphere of life that is distinct, both from the public sphere of government provision and distribution, a ...learn more
GROUP DETAILS
Created: Feb 26, 2009
Updated: Nov 27, 2009
Membership: Open
Semi-Private
Organization Info [Edit]
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Network [Add] · [List] · [Visualize]
Connected with 0 organizations
Connected with 1 person
 |
Connected with 0 resources
Connected with 0 solutions
Connected with 0 jobs
Connected with 0 events
Connected with 0 wikipages
About [Edit]
PROGRAMS
Produce Rescue
The heart of Food For Free’s work is our Produce Rescue Operation. Five mornings a week, our drivers and volunteers visit the wholesalers at the New England Produce Center where they solicit donations of fresh fruits and vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. Our drivers then head to several grocery stores, where they gather not only fresh produce, but baked goods and dairy products as well.
From June through November volunteers help Food For Free staff glean produce four days a week from the local Farmers Markets in Central Square, Davis Square and Copley Square, annually rescuing thousands of pounds of local fresh produce. In addition, we supplement the food we rescue by purchasing food on behalf of the Cambridge Food Pantry Network through funding provided by the City of Cambridge.
The rescued food is transported immediately to one of the nearly four dozen human service agencies that we serve. In most cases, the food we rescue is either incorporated into a meal (by a program that serves meals) or sent home with a family (by a food pantry) within 24 hours of being donated.
Field of Greens
In 1991, Food For Free planted our first Field of Greens. Each summer, we supplement the produce we rescue with nutrient-dense vegetables grown by our own staff and volunteers. In 2004, our farm managers and volunteers harvested more than 5,300 pounds of vitamin-rich, organically grown vegetables for distribution to our recipient agencies. Volunteers are a critical part of Field of Greens, putting in hundreds of hours of time each year to help grow tons of carrots, eggplants, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, collards and kale for distribution.
Field of Greens is made possible through a grant from the Timberland Company and the support of Linden Tree Farm.
Home Delivery Program
Our Home Delivery Program allows low-income Cambridge residents who are too sick or disabled to access food pantries on their own the opportunity to receive monthly deliveries of food at their own homes. Each month, we deliver more than forty pounds of food to each of forty housebound individuals who have been referred by their health care providers or social workers.
A typical delivery consists of 40-50 pounds of food, and includes fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meat or fish, and non-perishable foods such as soup and cereal.
Beginning in July 2005, the Home Delivery program will expand to serve up to fifty clients each month.
To be eligible for Home Delivery individuals must:
- Live in Cambridge, Massachusetts;
- Qualify as low-income under HUD guidelines (less than $28,951 for one person);
- Be unable to access food pantries on their own due to illness or disability and submit a letter of recommendation from a health-care provider or social worker attesting to this fact.
The Food For Free Committee’s Home Delivery Program is supported by the Cambridge Department of Human Services through a Community Development Block Grant.
Farm Rescue
One of the great things about living in Massachusetts is being surrounded by small farms, owned and worked by people who really care about food. From May through November, Food For Free works with area farmers to rescue fresh, locally grown vegetables and distribute them within the emergency food system.
Food For Free rescues food directly from Linden Tree Farm, in Lincoln; Gaining Ground and Verrill Farm, both in Concord; and Waltham Fields Community Farm, in Waltham. Every week during the growing season, our drivers visit these farms to gather fresh vegetables which they immediately deliver to local food programs. By the end of the 2005 growing season, we expect to have rescued close to 20,000 pounds which will be distributed among more than forty food pantries, meal programs, and emergency shelters.
In addition to working with farms directly, Food For Free also rescues from three area farmers’ markets: Copley Square, Boston; Central Square, Cambridge; and Davis Square, Somerville. Working with the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets allows us to collect from an additional two dozen farms each week, as well as several bakeries. Like everything we rescue, this food helps to feed those in our community who are at greatest risk of hunger and malnutrition.
Produce Rescue
The heart of Food For Free’s work is our Produce Rescue Operation. Five mornings a week, our drivers and volunteers visit the wholesalers at the New England Produce Center where they solicit donations of fresh fruits and vegetables that might otherwise go to waste. Our drivers then head to several grocery stores, where they gather not only fresh produce, but baked goods and dairy products as well.
From June through November volunteers help Food For Free staff glean produce four days a week from the local Farmers Markets in Central Square, Davis Square and Copley Square, annually rescuing thousands of pounds of local fresh produce. In addition, we supplement the food we rescue by purchasing food on behalf of the Cambridge Food Pantry Network through funding provided by the City of Cambridge.
The rescued food is transported immediately to one of the nearly four dozen human service agencies that we serve. In most cases, the food we rescue is either incorporated into a meal (by a program that serves meals) or sent home with a family (by a food pantry) within 24 hours of being donated.
Field of Greens
In 1991, Food For Free planted our first Field of Greens. Each summer, we supplement the produce we rescue with nutrient-dense vegetables grown by our own staff and volunteers. In 2004, our farm managers and volunteers harvested more than 5,300 pounds of vitamin-rich, organically grown vegetables for distribution to our recipient agencies. Volunteers are a critical part of Field of Greens, putting in hundreds of hours of time each year to help grow tons of carrots, eggplants, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, collards and kale for distribution.
Field of Greens is made possible through a grant from the Timberland Company and the support of Linden Tree Farm.
Home Delivery Program
Our Home Delivery Program allows low-income Cambridge residents who are too sick or disabled to access food pantries on their own the opportunity to receive monthly deliveries of food at their own homes. Each month, we deliver more than forty pounds of food to each of forty housebound individuals who have been referred by their health care providers or social workers.
A typical delivery consists of 40-50 pounds of food, and includes fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meat or fish, and non-perishable foods such as soup and cereal.
Beginning in July 2005, the Home Delivery program will expand to serve up to fifty clients each month.
To be eligible for Home Delivery individuals must:
- Live in Cambridge, Massachusetts;
- Qualify as low-income under HUD guidelines (less than $28,951 for one person);
- Be unable to access food pantries on their own due to illness or disability and submit a letter of recommendation from a health-care provider or social worker attesting to this fact.
The Food For Free Committee’s Home Delivery Program is supported by the Cambridge Department of Human Services through a Community Development Block Grant.
Farm Rescue
One of the great things about living in Massachusetts is being surrounded by small farms, owned and worked by people who really care about food. From May through November, Food For Free works with area farmers to rescue fresh, locally grown vegetables and distribute them within the emergency food system.
Food For Free rescues food directly from Linden Tree Farm, in Lincoln; Gaining Ground and Verrill Farm, both in Concord; and Waltham Fields Community Farm, in Waltham. Every week during the growing season, our drivers visit these farms to gather fresh vegetables which they immediately deliver to local food programs. By the end of the 2005 growing season, we expect to have rescued close to 20,000 pounds which will be distributed among more than forty food pantries, meal programs, and emergency shelters.
In addition to working with farms directly, Food For Free also rescues from three area farmers’ markets: Copley Square, Boston; Central Square, Cambridge; and Davis Square, Somerville. Working with the Federation of Massachusetts Farmers’ Markets allows us to collect from an additional two dozen farms each week, as well as several bakeries. Like everything we rescue, this food helps to feed those in our community who are at greatest risk of hunger and malnutrition.