By Mayra Alaniz Andrade | Observer Contributor
According to Allison Goodwin, Operations Director at Gaining Ground, a nonprofit organic farm in Concord, MA, “About one in five Massachusetts households is experiencing food insecurity, which is really staggering.” Gaining Ground has been working to address the area’s increasing food insecurity for the past seven years by donating free, sustainable, organic produce to local residents.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, 44.2 million Americans lived in food-insecure households in 2022, with 12.8% of residents lacking consistent access to sufficient food, up from 10.2% the previous year.
A study in Health Affairs on food insecurity shows that it is associated with many health risks and affects people of all backgrounds and ages. Goodwin points out that many people are unaware of the scale of the issue because “it rarely looks the way people think. Many people have jobs, many have families, they have cars. They have the ability to maintain appearances,” she explained, emphasizing that food insecurity is often a silent issue. “There’s so much stigma around just asking for help.”
Goodwin and Gaining Ground are working to change that. The organization’s mission is to “provide free, sustainably grown, fresh organic produce to people experiencing food insecurity.” In 2023, the organization, which partners with “about 17 organizations in either Boston, Metro West, or Lowell,” according to Goodwin, donated over 115,000 pounds of fresh food—just shy of their 2020 record of 130,000 pounds. This effort was made possible by roughly 3,000 volunteers, who collectively contribute more than 6,900 hours of volunteer time annually. “We’ve been open since February this year, and already all of our group slots are filled through July,” Goodwin noted.
Gaining Ground began in 1994 in the backyard of Concord resident Jamie Beus. While composting apples from her orchard, Beus had an idea: “Why don’t I put this compost in my backyard, involve volunteers, and we’ll donate everything we produce?” From that idea, Gaining Ground was born. The organization harvested its first produce that year, growing and donating 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables.
Respect for people goes hand-in-hand with Gaining Ground’s respect for the environment. All of the produce grown at the farm is organic, but they take things a step further. “The idea is we’re trying to mimic what nature does as much as possible,” says Goodwin. “We don’t plow or till every year, [because] if we’re continuously scraping up and stirring up the soil, not only are we removing potential nutrients, [we’re also] stirring up weed seeds so the weeds can come to the surface.” This constant care for the farm improves the soil’s fertility, helping grow bigger and more vegetables.
Allison Goodwin, the whole staff at Gaining Ground, and all of its volunteers work hard day-in and day-out to help those in their community and those that surround it. For Goodwin, it is “incredibly rewarding.” Not only is the location beautiful and peaceful, but she emphasized that, “I work with such an amazing team of people who are so passionate and dedicated.”
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