SALEM — Salem Hospital’s annual Golf Classic this September will benefit the hospital’s new Community Farm Pilot Program.
The program, which is also being sponsored by North Shore Physicians Group (NSPG), was started to address food insecurity in the community and will be located on the former Union Hospital campus in Lynn.
“The Community Farm Pilot Program is an important way we can help patients and residents nourish themselves with sustainably-grown produce while helping to rebuild a sense of community after the social isolation of the pandemic,” said David Roberts, Salem Hospital’s president and co-chair of the 2021 Golf Classic.
According to the hospital, food pantries in Lynn reported a 400 percent increase in membership from 2019 to 2020, as many people lost jobs and income due to the pandemic. In addition, one in five Lynn residents faced food insecurity at some point in the past year.
“People experiencing food insecurity get sick more often, are more likely to be hospitalized and have higher rates of obesity, depression and chronic illness,” said Dr. Christine Valdes, a family medicine specialist at NSPG. “Many of these conditions are the same preexisting health conditions that have proven to put individuals at higher risk of COVID-19 complications.”
The hospital is currently working to find a farm management partner to help design and manage the project, which is expected to open to the public in the spring.
Participants in the program will be able to grow their own fruits and vegetables on free, individual plots. Surplus harvest will be donated to community partners to benefit those in need of fresh food.
The Golf Classic, which will take place on Sept. 13 at Salem Country Club, will fund the program. The organization hopes to raise $35,000 through the event.
For more information or to donate, visit nsmcgiving.partners.org/golfclassic.
