GreenDorchester (Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition)

Are you interested in helping to improve access to healthy food through farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture (CSA), urban agriculture, and healthy corner store initiatives? The monthly Bowdoin-Geneva Food in the ‘Hood Committee Meeting is coming right up! Come on by next Wednesday, Feb. 8^th from 6 to 7:30 p.m in the first floor conference room at the Bowdoin Street Health Center (230 Bowdoin Street).  Feel free to check out the event and RSVP on Facebook! Flyers are also attached in both English and Cape Verdean Creole.  Please invite your family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues!

Free! Healthy snacks provided. Can’t attend but want your voice to be heard? Have a question? Call Maura at at 617-754-0026. Continue Reading »

Our friends at the Dot Comm Coop have issued a press release for the Winter Farmers’ Market opening January 8! Download the Winter Market Release or view it after the break. Continue Reading »

Help increase equitable access to fresh, healthy food! The next “Food in the Hood” meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 18^th from 6 – 7:30 p.m.  at the Bowdoin Street Health Center (230 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester). A flyer for the meeting is attached. Healthy snacks provided!

Social Media

There are two new social media hubs for healthy food access in Bowdoin Geneva. Please join your neighbors in liking the Bowdoin Geneva Food in the ‘Hood pageon Facebook and following the @BGFoodintheHood Twitter feed.   Stay in the loop about all the initiatives underway and help us spread the word!  Your support takes just a few clicks! Continue Reading »

As a September Bay State Banner article noted, many programs previously offering Heat Assistance (i.e. utility subsidies for low-income residents) programs may be inactive due to changes in federal funding. Luckily, there are many resources available online to learn more about the options available to your family, friends, neighbors, patients or clients, etc.  The U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development lists several Massachusetts specific resources here. Mass Resources lists a variety of energy and heating assistance programs here. The most well known of these are probably Massachusetts’ Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (MA LIHEAP) and Citizens’ Energy (Joe 4 Oil). Check online for a convenient eligibility guidefor LIHEAP. You can also try sources such as the Good Neighbor Energy Fund or look into local assistance programs. Regarding the last point, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a fairly large index of local programs. Continue Reading »

Celebrate the end of a bountiful harvest in Roxbury! The Food Project invites you to their Thanksgiving Farmers Market this Tuesday, November 22nd from 4 to 7 p.m. at The Dudley Greenhouse at 11 Brook
Ave, Roxbury, MA.

TFP are pleased to be offering up our last field veggies of the year - stock up on potatoes, leeks, winter squash, salad greens and many more favorites for your Thanksgiving dinner. There is AMPLE food available, so please stop by!

The Food Project’s youth will be serving a delicious squash soup and have planned children’s activities for the little ones. View a flyer here. For more information, contact Danielle Andrews at 617-442-1322 x13 or dandrews@thefoodproject.org.

Community information sessions will be held on November 12 and 19 to solicit ideas and help for the DotRox Cooperative Gardening Center! The DotRox Cooperative Garden Center will be a community-based gardening center in Dorchester or Roxbury, located near public transit with frequent service (note: this is not the Food Co-op). The store will be full-service, offering plants, seeds, pots, soil, pest-control products, tools, light hardware and other items for gardeners. In addition, the store will supply specialty items for immigrants and other communities that have a hard time finding what they need and offer gardening, health and wellness workshops. As a cooperative business, consumers and workers will be its owners. For more information, contact Gerald Robbins at  gmrobbins@yahoo.com or 617-241-7717. Meeting times and locations after the break. Check out flyers in English, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean, and Spanish.

Update: The festival was a blast! DEHC attended, munched on good, green grub and spoke to both novice and expert gardeners. Check out our photos on Facebook:

• Gardeners Enjoy Plants, Potluck and Fun
• Healthy Champions from Bowdoin St. Health Center lead a Pickling Workshop
• Exercise Session led by Percess Williamson of Healthworks Community Fitness

Old Post: Come out and celebrate the first annual Nightingale fall harvest festival. Nightingale gardeners invite everyone to join and enjoy the bounty of Dorchester’s largest community garden! Bring your appetite – the focus of this event is dishes inspired by this season’s harvest. This is a great opportunity to find out more about what is going on in your community gardens, how you can get involved, and what they can do for you and the community! For more information, email Boston Natural Areas Network, or call 617.542.7696. The event will take place on October 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Nightingale Community Garden, 512 Park Street, Dorchester. Click here to view the location on a map! View a flyer here.

On Thursday, October 27, from 3 to 6 p.m., join in the fun at the Bowdoin Geneva 2nd Annual Harvest Festival, featuring:
- the Last Farmers’ Market of the Season! (Remember: WIC farmers’ market coupons expire 10/31)
- Free Pumpkins & Pumpkin Decorating
- Face Painting
- Healthy Halloween Prizes for the best costume!
- Games & Music
At the Bowdoin Street Health Center, 230 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester
For more information, please contact: 617-754-0026, bgfarmersmkt@gmail.com. You can also download a flyer here.

The Dorchester Community Food Co-op has some exciting updates:

The $5 Food Challenge is on! Everyone is invited to bring a $5 dish to the Potluck Dinner! Cook a healthy dish for 2-4 people using only $5 of ingredients, and bring it to share with your friends and neighbors. Prizes for the best dishes! Sunday, October 23rd, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Second Church in Dorchester, Codman Square, 600 Washington Street. Admission is free, just bring a dish to share or enter into the contest!  For more information, or to sign up for the contest, visit http://dotcommcoop.wordpress.com/ or contact sarah.cadorette@gmail.com. You can RSVP on Facebook here.

More information about the Winter Farmers’ Market is now available! The market, which will feature farm fresh produce, entertainment by area artists, and local meat, bread, cheese will run on Sundays, from 12 to 3 p.m., during the months of January through March. It will take place in the Great Hall of the Codman Square Health Center (corner of Washington & Norfolk). Grand Opening January 8! Follow the link for a Winter Farmers’ Market flyer.

Grow your own vegetables at home! The Food Project’s Build-a-Garden program supports Boston residents and organizations to grow their own food in raised bed and container gardens. The program will provide you with: a raised bed garden or container garden kit, including soil and compost, seeds and transplants, a Growing Guide, workshops, and additional support by phone, email, blog, and newsletters.

All Boston residents are encouraged to apply. Priority is given to those who live in Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan, and to those with financial need. No prior gardening experience required. While applicants generally need to have their own space for a garden, The Food Project will try to match you with alternative accommodations in your neighborhood if necessary. Individuals can download an application here. Groups, and those seeking more info or multilingual flyers, should visit http://thefoodproject.org/build-a-garden. You may also contact the Build-a-Garden Coordinator by phone (617-442-1322 x12) or by email (buildagarden@thefoodproject.org). Want to spread the word? Download and print this flyer.