LYNN — The Food Project celebrated 20 years of youth leadership, food justice and community impact on the North Shore with a Sunday evening gathering at the Lydia Pinkham Building — the final event held in the space and the last meal catered by longtime partner Uncommon Feasts.
The event brought together staff, board members, alumni, and community partners to reflect on two decades of urban farming, youth development, and systems change in Lynn and surrounding communities.
Michelle Mulford, The Food Project’s events and volunteer manager, prepared the evening’s meal — a casual Sunday supper with porchetta from First City Meats and radish greens sourced from The Food Project’s own Lynn farm. The dinner also marked the end of an era for Mulford’s catering company, Uncommon Feasts, which she founded 15 years ago and has operated from the Pinkham building since 2018.
“This event felt very special to me,” Mulford said. “The Food Project was one of the first organizations I connected with when I moved to Lynn, and to host the final event in this space for them — it feels full circle.”
Mulford, who grew up in a Sicilian family that regularly cooked together, started working with The Food Project shortly after opening her business in Lynn. She began by sourcing vegetables from the organization and hosting their staff for meals. In December, she officially joined the team.
“I was ready to do something different,” she said. “I was looking for work that felt meaningful and aligned with values I respected.”
The Food Project began its North Shore programming in 2004, expanding from its original base in Greater Boston. John Wang, who helped launch the Lynn youth programs and now serves as co-executive director, has been with the organization since the beginning of its North Shore chapter.
“Being here for 20 years, I’ve seen so much transformation — not just for young people during their time with us, but in the years afterward,” Wang said. “We know from our alumni studies that the majority continue doing positive social change work, no matter where they go. That’s powerful.”
Wang pointed to long-term efforts like the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which grew out of pilot work done in Lynn’s farmers markets, and the Lynn Food Policy Council, where residents now have a voting seat at the table.
“This is a project that can’t just stop,” he said. “You’ve got to keep moving forward. We’re building not only youth leaders, but also new systems that give community members ownership and power.”
That philosophy of empowerment runs through The Food Project’s core youth programs. Hazel Kifer, who manages the Lynn farm at Ingalls Elementary School, helps lead an eight-week paid summer program for teens, teaching agriculture, food sovereignty, and community engagement. Participants can continue into the academic year and even take on greater responsibility through the Root Crew program.
Kifer said federal cuts to SNAP and hunger relief programs are a growing concern, especially for residents who rely on matched benefits at farmers markets.
“If those supports go away, it deeply impacts people’s ability to access fresh, healthy food,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to advocate and adapt.”
For Emmanuel Encarnación, the event marked another kind of full-circle moment. He joined the first Lynn youth crew in 2005, returned to work full-time at the organization, and now serves as chair of The Food Project’s board.
“As someone who grew up in Lynn, this work changed the way I saw food access in my own community,” Encarnación said. “Being able to now help lead this organization — and celebrate it 20 years later — it means a lot.”
Live music played throughout the evening, including a set of R&B and neo-soul performed by Greater Boston Youth Development Manager Caina Luse Moise and her husband. Moise, who has a background in both urban farming and music education, brings that dual passion to her work.
Moise oversees the Boston Seed and Dirt Crew, the largest youth cohort within the organization. She supports teenagers through their first introduction to food systems education and community engagement. Many go on to become peer leaders and organizers.
“The Food Project creates a real sense of belonging,” Moise said. “So many of our youth are navigating complex personal and political realities. When they get here, they find community. They see their questions reflected in the curriculum. And they begin to see themselves as changemakers.”
She said working with young people in this way is both restorative and essential. “They come in unsure, but when they learn where their food comes from and how to grow it, their confidence grows too. Watching their eyes light up — that’s the best part of this job.”
Sunday’s dinner was the first in a series of anniversary events scheduled throughout 2025. The next major celebration, an ice cream social at the Ingalls Elementary School farm, will take place on Tuesday, July 29 — with ice cream once again made by Mulford.
“We’re proud to be rooted in Lynn,” said Director of Donor Engagement Heath Marlow. “And we’re just getting started.”
