PEABODY — Two Peabody-based businesses have received state grants they hope will help them stave off hunger in the community and also give Peabody’s seniors more access to healthy, locally-grown produce.
Citizens Inn ($475,587) and Chris’ Farm Stand ($1,158) were among 47 organizations receiving a total of $5,895,554 in awards under the fourth round of the state’s $36 million Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program, an initiative created following recommendations from the Governor’s COVID-19 Command Center’s Food Security Task Force.
Citizens Inn, which offers a food pantry and a community meals program, received one of the largest awards. It plans to use the grant to renovate its facility to increase storage capacity for food received from the Greater Boston Food Bank as well as local farms and partners. This will include both dry and refrigerated food products which are essential, to meet the increased demand it is seeing due to COVID.
“We are very excited about this as it will allow us to double our storage of proteins and grains with a new freezer and walk in coolers,” said Executive Director Corey Jackson. “We will also be able to add a heated canopy we can use in the winter for additional pickup. The need to help people has never been greater as there are so many more people who need food,” adding that registrations have increased 370 percent since the start of the pandemic in March.
Chris’ Farm Stand, which has an open-air market on Lake Street in West Peabody and a 139-acre farm in Bradford, will use its grant to purchase software and equipment needed to process SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) payments.
“We’ve had the system in place in Bradford and have been fighting for two years to get it in Peabody,” said Marlene Stasinos, who owns the business with her husband, Chris. “I’m so excited about that as there are a lot of seniors living in Peabody who now will have access to fresh, healthy locally-grown produce.”
Chris’ Farm Stands offer a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, honey, hay, eggs, and meat. Open daily from May to November, the farm grows natural products using sustainable agricultural practices at Silsby’s Farm, a 200-year-old, fourth-generation working farm in Bradford. The farm sells its own naturally-raised, farm-fresh turkeys and offers educational programs and farm tours to educate children and their families on the importance of growing food using sustainable agriculture practices. Chris’ is also a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, which offers its members an array of seasonally-fresh produce and food products throughout the growing season.
Stasinos said CSA memberships skyrocketed after the onset of the pandemic.
“COVID basically meant we couldn’t have any of the normal things we usually do, like hay rides, but business was actually good because people didn’t want to go to grocery schools,” Stasinos said. “So we were busy and we also tripled the number of CSA members from last year. I think a part of it was people felt safer and a lot of them were blown away at the food we grow in our fields. It opened a lot of people’s eyes knowing where they could get fresh and healthy produce and not have to go into a store.”
Over the first three rounds of the Food Security Program, which was announced in May of 2020, the state awarded more than $11.7 million to close to 100 organizations in its effort to address urgent food insecurity for residents throughout the Commonwealth as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and also ensure that individuals and families have access to healthy, locally-produced food.
The program also addresses critical gaps within Massachusetts’ local food system and helps local farmers, fishermen, food banks, and distribution networks continue their essential work producing a steady supply of healthy, nutritious food to communities and underserved neighborhoods.
“As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to build on our efforts to secure a resilient, diverse local food supply chain so Massachusetts residents maintain access to fresh, healthy food,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “With this fourth round of grants, we will have awarded a total of $17.7 million, making critical investments in our local food infrastructure and ensuring a secure supply of food as residents across the Commonwealth adjust to the impacts of this unprecedented public health challenge.”
