Wondering what to make for dinner? Pick up some fresh food at the Dorchester House Farmers Market and get a free food sample from the UMass nutritionists while you’re there! Today, from 11:30 am to 1:30pm, visit the Dorchester House Farmers Market at Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, 1353 Dorchester Avenue (map).
Find fresh produce from Flats Mentor Farm, ReVision House Urban Farm and Serving Ourselves Farm (at Long Island Shelter), all farms connected to socially-responsible programs.
Flats Mentor Farm still has Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares available and you can feel good about buying from them, since FMF “assists and supports small farmers of diverse ethnic backgrounds with the land, farming infrastructure and marketing assistance needed to promote and sustain successful farming enterprises”.
Victory Programs’ ReVision Urban Farm is locally based in Dorchester, and has transformed “over an acre of abandoned lots into productive and vibrant farmland”. The ReVision Urban Farm provides job-training for youth and Boston’s homeless, and partners with Victory Programs’ Revision House shelter in Franklin Field to promote healthy eating and sustainable farming while providing residents with free produce to use in their family meals.
The Farm at Long Island Shelter (Serving Ourselves Farm) is located right in Boston Harbor, each year producing nearly 30,000 pounds of high-quality vegetables, flowers, and herbs for the over 850 homeless individuals served each day. The Farm provides hands-on job training, work-readiness skills, life skills and education for homeless individuals as part of the Serving Ourselves Job Training Program. Individuals in the Culinary Arts track of the program have gone on to gain permanent, gainful employment in restaurant, food, horticulture and landscaping industries using skills they developed at the Farm.
