Working TOWARDS LASTING Change 2019 annual report 2019 2 • cyriah from lynn 3 • root crew youth 5 • a partnership in land welcome new board chair stewardship carolyn zern This year, Carolyn Zern took 6 • financial review over the reins as the Chair of The Food Project’s Board 7 • donors of Trustees. Carolyn brings high level leadership skills, the leadership of Linda a can-do attitude, and deep McQuillan, who recently board of trustees Oct. 1, 2018 – Sept. 30, 2019 dedication to our mission. stepped down as Board Chair Carolyn Zern, Chair Natasha Lamb Since joining the board in after nearly six years. Linda Cassandria C. Campbell, Anmol Mehra 2015, Carolyn has been on the chaired the Big Shindig for Vice-Chair William A. Mims Big Shindig Host Committee, many years, served as Interim Michelle Dyer, Treasurer Midori Morikawa captained our Ride for Food Executive Director in 2018, Tara Agrawal Mary Kathryn Poole team, and served on both the and has been a steadfast Amy Ballin Diane G. Remin Development and Finance advocate and partner. Linda Valerie B. Cardoso Charles H. subcommittees. Carolyn loves to volunteer on the Nora Carey Riemenschneider also led the 2018 Executive Boston farms and in the Annalisa Di Palma Katie A. Ryan Director search committee. Sarah C. Gould Diane Stansbury greenhouse, and we are so Norris Guscott Matt Tetreau The Food Project is also appreciative of her years of Alexander P. Jaques incredibly grateful for service. Thank you, Linda! thefoodproject.org Dear Friends of the Food Project, When I came on board as Executive Director in January of this year, I thought that I knew what I was getting into. I’d been both a supporter of the organization and a parent of a youth participant – my eldest daughter spent her high school years on The Food Project’s farms. It changed her life, as it does for so many of our young people. What I was not prepared for was the impact of seeing The Food Project from the inside: getting to know our passionate, mission-driven staff and Board of Trustees, spending time with our youth, hearing their stories and watching them grow. It’s seeing all the work that our farmers do before even one seedling goes into the ground and the mind-boggling logistics required to distribute our fresh healthy food to vulnerable families. I am honored and humbled to be leading this incredible organization. I am truly thrilled to be a part of The Food Project. Our work with youth and communities brings people of diverse backgrounds together to learn, grow, and build a just and sustainable food system that is accessible to all. Having a safe space to dig deeply into issues of race and economic inequity and understand the impact of those factors on a personal level is so important if we hope to see lasting change. With the support of all of you and the entire Food Project community, my team and I look forward to continuing to sow seeds, empower youth, and grow together. Anne Hayes Executive Director annual report 2019 • 1 CYRIAH from Lynn Root Crew Peer Leader Cyriah, 18, has come full circle at The Food Project. She started as a young teen in Seed Crew, learning the ropes, and worked her way up through Dirt Crew to Root Crew. Cyriah is now leading other young teens through the Seed Crew curriculum and is finding her voice and her value to her community. How has your work changed since community, which is awesome! One of you began at The Food Project? the workshops I am assisting in creating is about the history of the land with an Well, transitioning from Seed Crew to Dirt environmental component. This topic can Crew to a Root Crew peer leader position, get super science heavy, which is exciting to the ask is always different. Initially I was just me, and we are ensuring that it’s something learning and absorbing all of these concepts that people who aren’t that big into science that I was previously oblivious to. Now, I’m would enjoy and find impactful as well! taking all of the skills I’ve developed over the years and applying them. The Food Project What work during the academic has helped make me a better public speaker year has been challenging? and overall thinker. With the skills they’ve helped me find within myself, I have learned For the academic year, I would say trying to be super creative is the most how to facilitate conversations around challenging to me. Being in Root Crew, you difficult topics. are spearheading new ideas constantly and with that, you have to have a creative What are you most excited about now? mindset. I am definitely learning how to Currently Root Crew is working on a series think outside the box, but at times it can be of workshops to facilitate for the wider challenging thinking of things that have not been done before. bidding a fond farewell to munroe street farm If you were in the Munroe Street area in downtown Lynn in the summertime and smelled basil, your nose would lead you to The Food Project’s farm. In partnership with a generous landowner, we planted and tended fruits, vegetables and flowers on the Munroe Street lot for nine years. Our partner sold the land, and it is currently being developed. Though we miss the Munroe Street Farm (our office is still right up the street), we are grateful for years of incredible memories. We are also really excited to be in conversation with local officials and property owners about new spaces in the downtown area where our youth and neighbors can grow food and build community. 2 • the food project ROOT CREW YOUTH: Building Community Through Food n Saturday afternoons throughout neighborhood.” Local chefs, restaurant owners, February and March of this year, the and neighbors share recipes from their own O kitchen in The Food Project’s Dudley cultures. This year’s instructors included Street office was filled with community Cassandria Campbell and Jackson Renshaw, members and energetic youth. The smell of Food Project alumni and co-founders of Fresh freshly baked bread, Caribbean-inspired sauces, Food Generation, and Nahdra Ra Kiros, owner and more filled the air as residents of Roxbury, of Oasis Vegan Veggie Parlor. Dorchester, and Mattapan gathered together Root Crew youth take a leadership role in the over their shared love of food at free cooking planning and execution of these workshops. workshops hosted by The Food Project as part They are responsible for recruiting chefs, of its “Grow Well, Eat Well, Be Well” initiative. spreading the word, assisting with set-up and According to Keely Curliss, Root Crew clean up, and facilitating a fun and interactive Supervisor, the workshops are meant to bring environment for neighbors to enjoy time community members and youth together together over a delicious meal. It’s one of their around cooking and delicious food: “Through favorite Root Crew activities, as they see the these workshops, we hope to showcase good things that come from bringing together the talent of local community businesses, youth and community through food. neighbors, and restaurants and uplift the vibrant food culture already present in the annual report 2019 • 3 A Partnership in Land Stewardship he dudley street neighborhood initiative (dsni) is a barrier-breaking, community-based, planning group formed in 1984 to revitalize the Dudley neighborhood after decades of disinvestment, arson, and the proliferation of empty lots. DSNI was the first community organization in the country to win the right of eminent domain. They acquired vacant lots for the Dudley Neighbors Inc. Land Trust and, through that, put a total of 30 acres of land under community control. “The whole intent behind a Community Land Trust model is to allow the community to have a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation over what happens in these sites,” said Tony Hernandez, the director of Dudley Neighbors Incorporated. The relationship between The Food Project neighborhood — many of whom are and DNSI spans decades. In 1995, DSNI immigrants from cultures where growing granted The Food Project the right to farm an food is an important part of life — to empty lot on Langdon Street. In the coming continue a practice that is so important years, The Food Project would add another to them. They also provide a place where farm on West Cottage Street and the Dudley children and teenagers can be exposed Greenhouse. Now that the farms are owned to how food is grown. “I think it adds As the pressures of by the Land Trust, they are protected from to the cultural diversity and richness of development encroach, purchase by developers. “As the pressures the community,” Tony said. “How do you I'm so pleased that of development encroach, I’m so pleased revitalize a neighborhood? You can’t just do our Boston farms have that our Boston farms have moved onto the it physically by popping a few houses up here Dudley Neighborhood Inc. Land Trust,” said and there.” moved onto the Dudley Danielle Andrews, who runs the farms and Shani Fletcher, Development Officer and Neighborhood Inc. greenhouse in the Dudley neighborhood. Grassroots Program Manager at the City “These Boston farms have produced more Land Trust. of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood than half a million pounds of food in our Development, said urban farms are beneficial — danielle andrews time here. They have provided meaningful to neighborhoods because they provide work and educational spaces for our youth, residents with access to fresh produce and staff and volunteers.