2009-2010 annual report

2009-2010 annual report
the food project index
fiscal year 2009-2010 in numbers
Number of Food Project farms in Boston & Lynn: 7
Number of Food Project farms in suburban communities: 3
Total acres under Food Project cultivation: 40
Number of youth employed through our Local Youth Programs: 145
Total number of hours Food Project youth worked on our farms: 21,447
Total number of hours Food Project youth worked at hunger relief organizations: 2,520
Number of full-time year-round Food Project staff: 29
Number of volunteers who worked on our farms: 2,974
Total number of hours worked by farm volunteers: 11,271
Number of varieties of vegetables grown on our farms: 194
Pounds of vegetables harvested: 185,404
Pounds of produce donated or sold to improve food access in low-income neighborhoods: 61,374
Number of households participating in our Community Supported Agriculture programs: 592
Total number of farmers’ markets in Boston & Lynn: 28
Number of Boston & Lynn farmers’ markets where The Food Project facilitated & promoted SNAP/food stamp use: 22
Number of raised bed gardens constructed in Boston & on the North Shore: 205
Number of college students participating in the Real Food Challenge network: 3,900
Number of colleges and universities in the Real Food Challenge network: 340
Total cost of operations for fiscal year 2010: $3,252,691
Total amount spent on youth stipends and transportation: $446,640
Number of individual donors: 1,764
Number of institutional funders: 76
1 · the food project
to friends of the food project:
Three themes – Youth, Food, and Community – weave through all our
work. The synergy between them is powerful, and takes many forms
during the course of a year. It is a farmers’ market, where Food Project
teens provide healthy produce and cooking advice for food stamp
recipients. It is a 100-yard row of chard where every weed has been
pulled by hardworking volunteers led by our young people. It is the
friendships that are formed across the too-often impassable divides
of race, class, and generation.
In this Annual Report, you will read the stories of some of the people
board of trustees
2010-2011
The Food Project has touched during the July 2009-June 2010 fiscal
Jessica Brooks, Chair
year (FY2010). You will learn about our accomplishments and the
Gene Benson, Vice Chair
challenges we faced. And we hope that you will join us in imagining
C. Dylan Sanders, Treasurer
what is possible in the coming years. This moment holds great
promise for all of us who care about building a sustainable future that
includes healthy land, healthy people, and healthy communities. The
potential for real, lasting change is palpable and we look forward to
working with you to ensure that our vision, as rearticulated this year,
becomes a reality:
Saulo Araújo, Clerk
Alvin Andino
Mark Barnett
Amy Cooper-Ayles
Keely Curliss
Hannah Sharpless Graff
Julie Johnson
Liz Luc Clowes
We envision a world where youth are active leaders, diverse communities
feel connected to the land and each other, and everyone has access to
fresh, local, healthy, affordable food.
Marcos Luna
Eva Macdonald
Joshua Nyambose
Dominique Powell
Amelie Ratliff
With gratitude,
Sharon Reilly
Andrew Schiff
Karen Spiller
Jessica Brooks Margaret Williams
Chair, Board of Trustees Executive Director Danah Tench
Lenore Gessner Travis
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 1
youth
since the food project was founded
19 years ago, 993 youth have
participated in our programs.
becoming an advocate
“My plan is to take over The Food Project in four years.” If you sit down to talk with Asia Tran, you will
soon discover that she has big plans for her future. And why shouldn’t she? Asia has spent her entire
high school career working with The Food Project, beginning with the Summer Youth Program when
she was 14 years old. Now a Lynn English High School graduate, Asia has four more years to make plans
while she attends Marion Court College in Swampscott.
Making plans, dreaming big, plotting amongst your peers – isn’t that what being a young person is all
about? It is for those who are given the opportunity to see the world as filled with possibilities. Asia
didn’t realize what was in store for her when her mother brought home a job application that was
being passed around her aunt’s church. Most of Asia’s friends were working at the mall that summer
when she decided to try something new. She applied, interviewed, and was accepted into the North
Shore program in 2006. “Some people thought I was crazy to work on a farm, others thought it was
interesting.” Interesting, crazy, or both, Asia says her experiences here have been some of the best
of her life. Read excerpts from our conversation:
What kept you coming back to TFP year after year? Why not try something else? I’ve had other jobs,
but this doesn’t feel like I’m actually going to work. The people I’ve met are so amazing and I just like
feeling like I’m helping my community. It doesn’t feel like work.
What does the word advocate mean to you? It means talking a lot about the things I’ve learned. Just
going out there and spreading the word. Like the other day on the bus, the bus driver asked me what
my Food Project t-shirt was all about, and I told him. I gave him a flyer and asked him to come to a
farmers’ market to see for himself. I really hope he does!
We read your blog where you talk about starting The Real Food Challenge: High School Edition (see
page 16 for more information). How is that going? Well, right now it’s just an idea. A few of the other
interns and I have gotten together to talk about it, and we plan to start small.
We also heard that you built a vegetable garden at your house in Lynn. Has that changed how your
family eats? Well, I’m trying. We started it last year, with the help of The Food Project’s Build-a-Garden
Program (see page 6). We got lots of tomatoes and peppers. My dad is from Vietnam and he had a
garden growing up, but my mom didn’t. She’s from Georgia. I’d say I eat a lot healthier than my friends
and family, but I’m working on them!
What are you going to study in college? Business. I hear you can do anything with that.
I want to open my own restaurant.
continued on page 3
2 · the food project
facing page: Asia Tran
Although her interests and focus may
change, Asia knows that there are long-term
opportunities for her at The Food Project. The
entry point is the Summer Youth Program.
On completing it, young people can apply to
continue in the Academic Year Program, which
operates on Saturdays. When they gain more
experience, they can take on leadership roles
in the Internship Program. During the summer
of 2010, Asia was a full-time Boston Intern
and her responsibilities ranged from Build-aGarden site visits and installations to leading
educational visits and facilitating workshops.
“The people I’ve met are so amazing and I just like feeling like
I’m helping my community.”
“I love farmers’ markets.
Everything is so fresh,
just picked that day!”
food
thanks to the food project,
lynn’s
22 of boston and
28 farmers’ markets accepted WIC and
SNAP in 2010. our goal for 2011 is 100% acceptance.
increasing access
Phyllis Janey loves home-grown healthy food, and didn’t know what she would find when she recently
returned to Boston from her life in the country in North Carolina. She was pleased to find many
more farmers’ markets than she remembers and, better yet, to see people actually growing their own
vegetables in a very urban setting. To find out where her neighborhood farmers’ market might be,
she consulted a community resource guide. When she learned about the Dudley Street Market, her
relationship with The Food Project was born. “I love farmers’ markets. Everything is so fresh, just picked
that day! Things at the supermarket are too cold, or frozen with no flavor.”
Not only is Phyllis a fan of fresh, healthy food, she is also a great-grandmother of two young boys –
Jaiyere, 6 and Chief, 3. Phyllis is helping to raise her great-grandsons and cares for them during the
week, and she lives on a fixed income. When shopping at the Dudley Street Market one day, she happily
learned about the Boston Bounty Bucks program, which would double her purchasing power (on
purchases up to $20). Essentially, Phyllis can buy $20 worth of produce and pay $10. The program was
designed by The Food Project in partnership with the city of Boston in 2008, in an effort to promote the
use of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps) at farmers’ markets.
Three years later, The Food Project finds one third of its produce sales at Boston farmers’ markets going
to customers using WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) farmers’ market nutrition coupons or SNAP.
“Our goal is to see Boston Bounty Bucks accepted in all Boston farmers’ markets by next year,” says
Cammy Watts, The Food Project’s director of community programs. Four years ago, farmers’ markets
in Boston did not have the expertise or electronic terminals needed to accept SNAP benefits. The
Food Project decided to change that, leading the way so that now, nearly all Boston farmers’ markets
can process these sales and offer healthy, affordable food in underserved neighborhoods. This is one
important way that The Food Project works to ensure that everyone’s basic right to healthy, affordable
food is fulfilled.
Although it takes a bit of extra effort to bring the energetic Jaiyere and Chief to the market, the trio
does make weekly appearances. When asked if the boys like to eat any of the items they shop for, Phyllis
replied, “They’re good about going, they’re just so picky! As a matter of fact, they’re as picky as I was.
As a child the only vegetables I would eat were string beans!” Starting off with string beans, Phyllis
came to appreciate the importance of fresh vegetables. Through the work of The Food Project and its
community partners, her great-grandsons have the chance to follow in her footsteps.
facing page: Phyllis Janey with her great-grandchildren
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 5
number of raised beds built by tfp
113 . number of raised
beds built by tfp in 2010, 205 .
in 2009,
COMMUNITY
healthy neighbors
Today, if you call The Food Project’s Dorchester office, you will hear the recorded message, “All Builda-Garden requests please dial 12.” Five years ago, when Kathleen Banfield (extension 12) was hired as
education and outreach coordinator, she could not have predicted the extent to which Build-a-Garden
requests would take on a life of their own. One of her first projects was to collect soil tests from
Dorchester neighbors who were growing food in their yards. Eighty-five percent of tested gardens had
levels of lead above the advised limit. “So, we said, what could we do to help? We began to provide
compost and build raised beds in the Dudley Street neighborhood.” Building gardens in raised beds
allows the soil to remain undisturbed, greatly reducing the danger of lead contamination.
In FY2010, The Food Project built 205 raised bed gardens in the greater Boston area, an increase of 81
percent over 2009. “We’re just keeping up with demand at this point,” explains Kathleen. “We respond
to all requests, but are prioritizing clusters.” Neighborhood clusters comprise a minimum of eight
gardens within walking distance of each other. Grouping beds in clusters not only saves time and
resources during installation, but gives new gardeners the support they need. “Gardeners need to be
connected to others who are doing it. People can go to others with more experience for tips on what
works. Everyone benefits.”
Orchard Gardens, a 331-unit housing development in Roxbury, is the perfect example of a cluster
success story. In 2008, Saida Ramirez, an Orchard Gardens resident and staff bookkeeper, started to
care for two neglected garden beds in an adjacent lot. Saida saw the potential of the unused space
and reached out to The Food Project last year for help. Staff and youth provided the labor, materials,
and technical know-how to help Saida realize her vision. Those 2 raised beds are now part of a 27-bed
cluster bursting with fresh vegetables. “We have 10 families on the waiting list, and all of the current
beds are spoken for,” explains Saida. Every family maintaining a garden has been given a key to the gate
surrounding the lot so they can come at their convenience.
“It was truly a community effort,” adds Sharon Russell-Mack, Orchard Gardens property manager. “The
developer, The Food Project, the maintenance staff, the residents – everyone pitched in! Watching it
evolve is just wonderful. Residents are over here early in the morning. Teenagers who had long lost
interest in their younger siblings are working right alongside each other. It’s just very uplifting.”
“This neighborhood has one of the highest crime rates in the city,” Saida continues. “The garden gives
people hope. Elderly people, young people can all come here if they need some space to breathe.”
Creating healthy communities is a key goal for The Food Project and cities across the country. Shared garden
spaces, like the cluster at Orchard Gardens, are proving to be powerful catalysts in efforts to realize it.
6 · the food project
facing page: Saida Ramirez
“This neighborhood has one
of the highest crime rates
in the city. The garden
gives people hope.”
revenue 2009-2010
contributions
Individuals 896,882
Foundations
1,291,438
Corporations
271,113
Government
153,232
Other donations
62,726
other revenue
Revenue from sales of food
357,028
Trainings and training materials
51,009
Investment and other income
91,129
Contributions to Real Food Challenge
286,058
Other revenue to Real Food Challenge
44,480
total
3,505,095
3%
Investment and other income
8%
Contributions to Real Food Challenge
1%
1%
Other revenue to Real Food Challenge
Trainings and
training materials
10%
Revenue from sales
of food
26%
Individuals
2%
Other Donations
4%
Government
8%
Corporations
37%
Foundations
expenses 2009-2010
8%
National Programs
10%
Food Access Programs
Youth Programs 1,136,058
Rural Farm Programs 633,435
Urban Farms and Community
35%
10%
Youth Programs
Volunteer
and Outreach
Programs
Agriculture Programs 575,467
Volunteer and Outreach Programs 336,428
f o o d a cc e s s p r o g r a m s
18%
Urban Farms
and Community
19%
Rural Farm
Programs
Farmers’ Markets and Hunger Relief
n at i o n a l p r o g r a m s
Real Food Challenge
255,525
total
3,252,691
During the fiscal year, revenues exceeded expenses by $252,404. Of this amount,
$150,000 was restricted to and set aside for expenditures to be made in FY2011.
$76,421 was restricted to The Real Food Challenge and was set in reserve to fund
future expenditures. $25,983 was added to The Food Project’s reserve fund.
Data is represented in a modified cash basis, and based on unaudited financial statements.
Indirect costs are allocated to program areas based on the size of each program.
8 · the food project
315,778
YEAR END
All in all, it was a good year
for The Food Project.
How does The Food Project measure success? We track multiple indicators, including results from
surveys of youth and adult participants, feedback from volunteers, the number of people eating healthier
food because of our efforts, the level of public interest in the fairness and sustainability of our local
food system, and the health of our organization and the satisfaction of the people who work here. All in
all, it was a good year for The Food Project, with momentum building in each of these areas and more.
Strategic Plan Our staff and board of trustees completed a strategic planning process that will set
our direction for the next three years. The Food Project believes we have the opportunity to make a
profound, systemic impact on public health and well-being in Massachusetts. Using our model of
youth-driven sustainable agriculture as a foundation, we will focus on providing access to healthy,
fresh, affordable, local food among those who currently lack it. We will also engage members and
leaders of our various communities in efforts to adopt more just and sustainable ways of growing and
distributing food. We will take the tools developed at The Food Project over the past 19 years and focus
more externally, collaborating deeply with partners and seeking involvement from stakeholders in
our communities. Our youth will bring their message out into the community, spreading the seeds of
change with their expertise, passion, and commitment.
New Programs In the spring of 2010, The Food Project was included in a sweeping two-year anti-obesity
grant received by the city of Boston from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This will allow
hundreds of residents and community-based organizations in Boston’s low-income neighborhoods
to have raised bed gardens installed by our youth in their backyards. They will receive training and
support as they learn to grow food for their families and neighbors. In the coming year, we will also
open a 10,000-square-foot greenhouse in Roxbury to serve as a Community Food Learning Center,
where residents will learn about gardening and nutrition. This new facility will provide nearly yearround opportunities for growing local food. We will launch garden projects at early learning centers
and schools, so that young children, students, teachers, and parents will have the opportunity to learn
directly about healthy food and how it is grown.
North Shore Our impact on the North Shore continues to grow. During FY2010, we completed the
first season of our North Shore Community Supported Agriculture Program, with sites in Lynn and
Beverly. Our youth programs on the North Shore continue to shine, with remarkably high retention
and reapplication rates. With our new North Shore Site Director James Harrison at the helm, we are
continued on page 11
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 9
we believe
All people have a right to healthy,
affordable food that nourishes our lives
and the planet we share.
YEAR END
continued
expanding our work in the region addressing disparities in community food access. The resources
and challenges in these communities are unique, and our interconnected programs allow us to respond
to local conditions while still drawing upon the two decades of expertise represented by The Food
Project as a whole.
Year End Thanks to the generosity of our donors and careful control of expenses, our FY2010 ended
with a surplus despite reduced farming revenue due to the extraordinary rains last season. The surplus
allowed us to replenish the funds drawn from our reserve account in FY2009 as well as roll forward
grants designated to cover costs that will be incurred in FY2011.
Farewells During the course of the year, we bade farewell to two senior staff members. Jen James,
director of communications, and Melissa Dimond, North Shore site director, both helped to shape our
program and culture in essential ways. Jen’s deep commitment to The Food Project’s mission and her
aesthetic sensibility were evident in every piece of writing and publication she produced, and the
impact of her leadership was palpable throughout the organization. Melissa’s vision and hard work will
always infuse every aspect of our North Shore programs, and their success attests to her perseverance
and high standards. We miss them both and wish them all the best in their new endeavors.
Finally, we owe a great debt of thanks to the board members who departed at the end of the fiscal
year. Board Chair Meg Coward concluded her final term, after eight years of remarkable service and
leadership. We also said goodbye to Girish Pathak, Jill Preotle, and Josh Solomon and youth board
members Duwan Grant, Rose Mendelsohn, and Amirah Mitchell. Each of them generously contributed
their time and wisdom to The Food Project and we are a stronger organization because of their
stewardship and belief in the power of our model.
}
> youth and adult partnerships are at the heart of our best work;
> that we are stewards of our land, culture, and community – and that, in turn, they sustain us;
> our strength grows from diverse experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and points of view;
> true learning is reciprocal and requires transparency, humility, and bold action;
> in hard work that balances rigor, reflection, and fun;
> all people have a right to healthy, affordable food that nourishes our lives and the planet we share.
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 1 1
The Food Project’s donors make our work possible. The following pages contain
the names of many of our individual and institutional supporters, and we thank
them for their commitment to making the world a better place by supporting our
mission. While we do not have room in this publication to print the names of all
of our supporters, every gift, of every size, makes a real difference and means a
great deal to The Food Project’s youth and our communities.
i n d i v i d ua l d o n o r s $ 1 0 0 0 o r m o r e
Anonymous (16)
Rand and Cheryl Alexander*
Stephen Durant and Laura
Evans Durant*
The Victor and Christine Anthony Kris Estes and Stephen Binder*
Family Foundation
Gregory and Janet Fraser*
Sylvia and Aaron Baggish
Cowley
Jude Aronstein and Joseph Rice*
Andrew and Melora Balson
Family Fund*
Charles Barzun*
Jim and Carolyn Birmingham*
Malaika Bishop
Tomas Bok and Florentien
De Ruitter
Stephen Bonsey and Elisabeth Keller
Alex Borns-Weil and Stephanie Borns-Weil
Jess Brooks and Russell Neufeld*
Dinah Buechner-Vischer
Jane Bunker and Mason Morfit
Richard and Judy Caruso
Steve and Maureen Cheheyl
Lisa Chioffi
Elizabeth Coe*
Marjorie Coward
Meg Coward*
Allen Cranmer
Joe and Hilly Crary
Miner and Helen Crary*
Peter Creighton
Sarah Creighton
Philip and Eve Cutter
John and Mary Deyst*
Kate Deyst and Ken Nickerson*
Susan and Paul Donahue*
Ray and Kelly Dunn*
12 · the food project
Steven Galante and Leanne Sean and Anne Gavin
Brian and Jill Lenhardt
The Scheerer Family Foundation
Lambert
McGovern
David Litwack and Mary Anne Anne Lucas and Stuart Cohen
Hilary Lucier
Barbara MacDougall
Estate of Frederick Maltby
Mary Ann Gore and Robert Friede Laura Maltby
Robert and Sarah Gould
Howard and Betty Martin
Curt Greer and Pamela Kohlberg
Richard and Jan McQuaid
Jeremy Green and Yvonne Adams
Henry and Lee Harrison*
Sarah Louise Hartman and
Benjamin Newman
Jerry and Margaretta Hausman*
Barry and Connie Hershey*
Daniella Hirschfeld
Weston and Susanah Howland*
Louise Howlett and G. Lindsay Brown*
Jonathan Jackson
Douglas and Betsy Johnson
Julie Johnson and Patrick McVeigh
Jon and Myla Kabat-Zinn*
Leo and Emily Kahn
Clarence and Dorothy Kelzer
Fund of the Catholic
Community Foundation
Clyde Kessel and Francoise Bourdon
Susan Koffman and Tom Cooper*
Carolyn Lattin and Venkat
Venkatraman
Thomas Lee and Ann Tenenbaum
Margaret Leipsitz and Matthew Yarmolinsky*
Jeffrey and Lucy Masters
Kurt and Therese Melden
Wilhelm Merck and Nonie Brady
Trevor Miller and Kim Williams
Don and Louisa Morgan
George and Carolann Najarian*
Suzanne Newton*
Jonathan Nusholtz
Girish and Smita Pathak*
Anne Perkins and Richard High
Steven and Terry Perlmutter*
Katherine Perls*
Gretchen Pfuetze*
Jill and John Preotle*
Rafael and Karen Pupo
Dwight Quayle and Deborah Manegold*
Frank Scherkenbach and Kimberly Peter and Cindy Schliemann*
Joel Schwartz and Janet Selcer
Sarah Angell Sharpe
Barry and Jan Sharpless
Randall Smith and Lori Kenschaft
Mary Springthorpe
William and Miriam Steel
Lally Stowell*
Mary Sullivan and Eric Brandt
Mike and Mary Taylor
Stephen Tise
George and Lenore Travis
Sandy Urie and Frank Herron
Peter Von Mertens and Dea Angiolillo*
Herbert Wagner and Charlotte
Cramer Wagner*
Mrs. Robert Watts*
Suzanne Weinstein*
Anne Elizabeth Welch*
Margaret Williams
Patrick and Nina Wilson
Gail Wine and Lance Ramshaw*
Carter and Lissa Winstanley
Neil Rasmussen and Anna Winter Serita Winthrop and Tom
Amelie Ratliff*
McCance
Beth and David Ricanati
Tien-Shi and Laura Yen
Polly and Brock Reeve*
Ransom Richardson and Sarah Shamel
Michael Rieker
Bob Robichaud
Edward and Catherine Romer
Paola Rossoni*
Kathy Wrean
Stephen and Marielle Yost
*donor for five or more
consecutive years
i n d i v i d ua l d o n o r s $ 2 5 0 - $ 9 9 9
Anonymous (8)
Frances Davis*
James and Cherry Karlson
Bernard Rosman*
Catherine Baisly
Sarah de Ferranti and Per Dutton
Mary Kelly
Ann Rothenberg
Thomas Barritt
Sue DeBlieck
Larry Kolodney and Heather Mrs. Elizabeth Ryan
Ed Belove and Laura Roberts*
Eugene and Brenda Delsener
John and Caroline Langan*
Paul and Ann Sagan
Ysaguirre
Melissa Dimond
Bernie Lebow and Barbara Steven and Sara Salomon*
George and Roberta Berry
Mrs. Elizabeth Donaldson
Judith Leemann and Bridget Lee
Ian and Anne Sanderson*
Joshua and Amy Boger
Ben and Jeanne Downs
Mark Levinson
Andrew Schiff and Susan
Jacquelyn Borck
Gitter
Douglas and Amy MacDougall
John and Judith Scotnicki
Robert and Louise Bowditch
Nick and Barbara Elton
Raymond and Monique Magliozzi Gary and Caryl Shaw
Walter and Joan Brassert*
Ira and Sue Evans
Kenneth and Mary May
Richard and Jennifer Siegel
Jonathan Brecher
Dr. Anne Fabiny
William McCune, Jr.
Vidya Sivan
Beth Brownlow
Fay Farber
Gary and Holly Mikula
David and Mally Skok
Dennis and Kim Burns
Barry and Odile Fidelman
Tim and Dell Mitchell
Peter and Faye Speert
John and Jane Butler
Nancy Fisher
Dennis and Cindy Murphy
Douglas Stegner
Bob and Ann Buxbaum
Timothy Galarneau
Joseph and Margaret Newhouse
Andrea Stewart
Anne Calabresi and Robert Gail Garlick
Kevin and Jill Norcott
David and Emily Strong*
Toby Calandra
Julia Gittleman and Tom
Chuck and Anne Nugent
Laraine Swett*
Kevin and Mary Ann Campion
Daniel and Carol Goodenough
Andy and Linda Ory
Matt Thornton
Mrs. Louis Carr*
Hannah and John Graff
Heather Parsons and
Sussman
Jim and Carol Cataldo*
Annie Grayson
Sue Partyke
Anne Louise C. Van Nostrand*
Edward and Barbara Chazen
Mary Grossman
Joanne Peckarsky
Kenneth and Nancy Vona
Amy Cleaveland-Hudson and Tom Jeffrey Heidt and Myra Green
Amy Pitter and Leah Camhi
Ockene
Jeff Clements and Nancy Heleston Pattie Heyman and Peter Lowber
Pless
Coralea Wennberg
Mrs. Edward Kass
Al and Selina Rossiter*
Brian and Deb Anderson*
Edith T. De Burlo*
Brad Barber
Amanda Dean and Jonathan Bush Janet King
Ron Beland and Nina Lev
DEF Fund
Nelson
Wendy Sabin
Jennifer Bennet and Wayne Emily Dexter and Armond Cohen
Sarah Langer
Louis and Holly Salemy
Jane Bernstein
Richard and Susan Doll
Guilfoile
Dylan and Bea Sanders
Melanie Blower
Dan and Ann Donoghue
Pamela Lenehan
Alec and Lee Sargent
William and Barbara Boger*
Aaron Dunning and Rebecca Persis Barron Levy and David Levy Manheim
Jay and Kathy Bothwick
Anne and Bob Eccles
James and Tori MacMillan
Jason and Katherine Shamberger
Frank and Mardi Bowles*
Brian and Marie Epstein
Vernon Marchal
Barbara Shiers
Peter and Diane Braun*
Winifred F. Ewing
Marty Mazzone
Thomas and Heidi Sikina
Julie Breskin and Jeff Gross
Julie Farago
Daniel and Tammy McKanan
Andrew Skinner
Philip Burling*
Alan Feldman and Carol Seitchik*
Paul and Lesley Millhouser
Mark and Kristin Smith-Gary
Susan Okie Bush
Ted Finch and Jeanne McDermott Shelley Morss
Daniel Butts
Lawrence and Nicole Gage
Susan Mygatt*
Gilbert and Sally Steward
John and Carroll Cabot
Sherley Gardner-Smith
James and Susan Nichols
James and Miriam Stoddard
Oldshue*
Phil Gitlen and Melody Mackenzie David and Melissa Norton*
Mary Campbell
Mendelsohn*
Brian and Bernadette Orr*
Beth Taylor and Tim Barclay*
James and Kristin Canty
Neil and Margot Goodwin
Carole Parrish
Andrew Troop and Andrea
Daniela Carusi
Pat Gray*
Andy Kotsatos
Peter and Theodora Uhrowczik
Tom Chalmers and Joan Meyer
Eric Green and Carmin Reiss
Peter and Susan Pease
Scott and Mary Jo Veling*
Rachel Claflin
Evan and Laura Hackel
Christina Perry
David Weinstein and Lauren Hudson III
Susan Helms Daley
Dr. Reynaldo Pless and Dr. Dottie Steven Weiss
Liz Luc Clowes
Jutta Hicks
Brian and Laura Plunkett
Russell and Nancy Werner*
Charles and Sally Collier
Mary Howard and
Marjorie Posner
Frederic and Susie Winthrop
Mrs. Judith Cook
John and Cornelia Hume
Wes Rataushk
Daniel Zedek and Marilynn John and Maria Cox*
Peter Isakson and Helen Hamman Benjamin Reeve and Katharine Greenbaum
David and Althea Kaemmer
The David Rockefeller Fund –
Bill and Ellen Cross
Lauren Kaplan and Russell Green
Anna Romer and Bruce Jacobson
Jim and Meredith Cutler
Nadeem Karimbux and Hema Glenn and Ann Rosen
Martha Rowley
Michael and Jill Stansky*
Charles and Joan Swanson
Margaret J. Clowes
Joseph Holmes and Susan Avery
Lily Pollans
Katharine White
Jeffery and Christa Collins
Stephen Mooney
Albert and Lois Rand
Joan Wyon
Howard Cooper
Cathy and Chris Huyghe
Laurence and Rebecca Reed
Johnson*
Deborah Cramer and Dan
Ellen Joseph
Sterling
Maria Cranna
Daniel Kamin
Designated by Clay Rockefeller
Sally S. Cross
Marion Kaplan
Laura Roper
Anne d’Avenas and Jerome Brody
Ramachandran
Robert Rosenberg
*donor for five or more
consecutive years
Thomas and Jillian Darling
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 1 3
f o u n d at i o n s , c o r p o r at i o n s , a n d o t h e r i n st i t u t i o n a l d o n o r s $ 1 0 0 0 o r m o r e
Anonymous (5)
Compton Foundation
Ludcke Foundation
S.E.A. Fund
The Boston Foundation
Corey McPherson Nash
Community Development
Charitable Trust
Bruce J. Anderson Foundation of
Aptima, Inc.
Co-op America Foundation, Inc.
Cranaleith Foundation
Associated Charities of Gloucester EMD Serono, Inc.
B & G Oysters
Eos Foundation
Beacon Hill Garden Club
Farm Aid
The Baupost Group
The Berry Fund Charitable
Foundation
Equal Exchange
Forest Foundation
Foundation M
The Blessing Way Foundation, Inc. GE Aviation
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Massachusetts
GE Foundation
GE Volunteers Foundation
Boston Public Health Commission Goldhirsh Foundation
Boston Trust & Investment
The Grand Circle Foundation
Brown University
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Boston Urban Gardeners
J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation
The Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation
Carleton-Willard Village
Cedar Tree Foundation
Cercone Brown & Company
Alfred E. Chase Charity Founda-
tion, Bank of America, Trustee
City of Boston
Claneil Foundation
The Clinton Family Fund
The Clipper Ship Foundation, Inc.
The Clowes Fund
Community of St. Martin
GreaterGood.Org
High Meadows Foundation
The Howell Family Charitable Foundation
Roy A. Hunt Foundation
Hurdle Hill Foundation
The Janey Fund
Johnson Family Foundation
Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation
Klarman Family Foundation
The Kreilick Family
Foundation, Inc.
Leaves of Grass Fund
Lincoln Public Schools
Linde Family Foundation
Lynn Office of Economic and
William E. & Bertha E. Schrafft Massachusetts Charitable Society Empowerment Initiative of
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
the Carl and Ruth Shapiro
Family Foundation
Massachusetts Office of Refugees Silvertone Bar & Grill
and Immigrants
Starbucks Youth Action Grant
Bank of America, Co-Trustee
The Nathaniel and Elizabeth P. McCarthy Family Foundation, Middlesex Savings Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Neal Rantoul Foundation
New Balance Foundation
Laura J. Niles Foundation
North Shore Workforce
Investment Board
O2 Yoga Studio, LLC
Olivia’s Organics Charitable Foundation
State Street Foundation, Inc.
Stevens Foundation
Lydia B. Stokes Foundation
Stranahan Foundation
Matthew J. & Gilda F. Strazzula Foundation
Thrill Hill Productions
Trinitarian Congregational Church
Unitarian Universalist Church
of Greater Lynn
Open Door/Cape Ann Food
University of Montana
The Osprey Foundation
Office
Pantry, Inc.
The Park School
Parker Street Foundation
The Pearson Family Charitable Foundation
Penobscot Investment
Management Company, Inc.
The Pettus Foundation Trust
Project Bread
UNC Student Activities Fund USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
The Frederick E. Weber Charities Corporation
Wholesome Wave Foundation
Zell Family Foundation
William Zimmerman Foundation
Mabel Louise Riley Foundation
gifts were made in honor of the following people:
Devon Ahearn
Mary Ann Flippin
Peggy McKibben
Julie Shiers Sternman
Gwen Beaven
Arthur Garrett
Sarah Mersha
Sally and Nicholas Thacher
Kate and Anthony Arcieri
Katie Blanchard
Enid Boasberg
Gemma Bryn and Molly
Adele Pyritz
John Burckardt and Rosie DelaCruz
Lucy Buckley
Robert Burns
Tim Burt and Thom Whittmore
Carleton-Willard Village
Outpatient Clinic
Rachel and DJ Chagnon
Laura Cohen
Meg Coward
Greig Cranna
Judi Cranna
Christy Crutchfield
John and Susan Davis
Melissa Dimond
Chanley and Tommy Dudley
Priscilla Ellis and Robert Crabtree
14 · the food project
Foodzie.com and Chow.com
Matthew Gillman
The Graff Family
Amy Gross
Hillary and Ben
Jennifer Holske
Clients at Independent School Magazine
Peter Jacoby
Jen James
Julie Johnson
Susan and Jeff Jones
Julia and Linda
Sharon Kabelitz
Jeff and Lara Kelley
Stu and Lisa Klane
Eve Lehmann
Mike and Amanda Lippert
Sam Lipschultz
Roger MacDonald
Susan MacDougall
Maggie McCarthy
Rose Mendelsohn
Sally B. Moulton
Rebecca Nemec
Aaron Nessel
Jane W. Newburger
Marc O’Meara
Tom O’Shea
Jahera Otieno
Paul and Linda Payne
Jill Pluhar
Jill Preotle
Amelie Ratliff
Virginia Symmes
Lenore and George Travis
Hannah Tremblay
Cody Urban
Landi Van Alen
Cammy Watts
Amy and Warren Willett
Kathy Woitunski
Daniel Woodham
Elizabeth Yellen
Justin Zachariah
Hannah Reeve
gifts were made
in memory of:
Peter, Jen, and Katie Robart and Paul Arthur Desharnais
Brock, Polly, Nate, Adam, and
Shelley Reeves
Jane Shanahan
Leah Rominger
Chris Russo
Mark Sagor
Kate and Jason Shamberger
Abhinash Srivastsa
Kenneth Hale
Margaret Hill
Henry Masters
Doug Scarff
Andrea Taaffe
We have attempted to be as accurate as possible in listing our donors. If you note any errors or omissions,
please accept our apologies and let us know so that we can correct our records.
serve and grow
The following organizations brought groups of volunteers to our farms during the course of the year to work in
the fields – planting, weeding, harvesting, and preparing food for distribution. The hard work and care of these
volunteers help our farms be both productive and joyful places, and we thank all of them.
Arup
Excel Academy Charter School
Massachusetts Institute of Root Capital
Azure Dynamics
Farm Direct Co-op
Massachusetts School of
Shady Hill School
Ashland High School
Bank of America
Beaver Country Day School
Bingham McCutchen LLP
Bird Street Community Center
Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Massachusetts
Boston Cares
Boston College
Boston Partners in Education
Boston Trust & Investment
Management Company
Boston University
Brookwood School
Cambridge School of Weston
Cape Ann YMCA
Cedar International School
Church of Our Redeemer
City Life Church
Codman Academy Charter
Public School
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
Dana Hall School
Dover Church
Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Eastern Bank
Electric Insurance Company
Essex County Garden Club
F.A.M.I.L.Y. Movement
First Church in Jamaica Plain
First Parish in Cambridge
First Parish in Lexington
Follen Community Unitarian Church
Framingham State University
GE Aviation
GE Healthcare
Girl Scouts
Glen Urquhart School
Goldman Sachs
Gordon College
Grand Circle Foundation
Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard University
Harvest Co-op Markets
Haverford Alumni Association
Hebrew College
Intuit
Jonas Clarke Middle School
Karuna School
KGA, Inc.
Khmer American Youth in Action
Landmark School
Lawrence Academy
Lesley University
Lincoln Public Schools
Marblehead Charter School
Technology
Professional Psychology
MATCH School
Merrimac Boy Scouts
MetroLacrosse
Middlesex School
The Mountain School
National Grid
The Neighborhood School
New American Center
New Balance Athletic Shoes
New England Biolabs
New Sector Alliance
Newton Country Day School
of the Sacred Heart
Nixon Peabody LLP
Noble and Greenough School
North Shore Teen Initiative
Northeastern University
NSTAR
Oasis Development Enterprises
Old North Church
Pacific Intercultural Exchange
The Park School
Partners Healthcare
Phillips Academy
Pleasant Street Congregational Church
R.J. Grey Junior High School
Salem High School
Showa Boston
Social Venture Partners
SquashBusters
St. John’s of Gloucester
Starbucks Coffee Company
State Street Bank
Stoneridge Children’s Montessori School
Temple Israel
Temple Shir Tikvah
The BELL Foundation
Tufts Health Plan
Tufts University
Unitarian Universalist Church
of Reading
University of Massachusetts Boston
Urban Homesteaders League
Virgin Money
Warren/Prescott K-8 School
Wellesley College
Wellington Management
WellPoint
West End Boys and Girls Club
Youth Enrichment Services
YouthBuild
Zion Baptist Church
Massachusetts Academy of Math Refugee and Immigrant
and Science
Assistance Center
gifts in kind
Throughout the year, individuals, corporations, and other organizations contributed materials or
Agriculture and Land Based
Country Pasta
Michael Iceland
Rhapsody Natural Foods
Amaltheia Goat Cheese
Equal Exchange
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Safety Trainers
Training Association
Annie’s Homegrown
Bagels on Broadway
Bernice’s Bakery
Big Sky Premium Meats
Boston Bruins
Boston Latin Academy
Boston Red Sox
services that helped The Food Project in myriad ways. Many thanks to all of those listed below.
Henry Eaton
EVOO Restaurant
Farms for Families
Garden at The Cellar
Garden City Fungi
Good Food Store
Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products
Brick Ends Farm
hannahcloud DESIGN
Sustainable Food Systems
Harvest Co-op Markets
Center for Agroecology &
The Charles Hotel
Cirque du Soleil
City Feed & Supply
Codman Community Farms
Harpoon Brewery
Alyssa Held
Henrietta’s Table
Jim Hickey
Honest Tea
Community Agroecology Network Mark Hopkins
Community Food Co-op of
Bozeman
Huckleberry People
Hunger Mountain
Iggy’s Bread
Steven and Linda Kanner
Le Cordon Bleu Boston
Le Petit Outre
Lifeline Farm
Lincoln Public Schools
The Living Room
Lucca Restaurant
Massachusetts General Hospital
Connal McCullough
Mother Anna’s Restaurant
Montana Coffee Traders
Nancy’s Cultured Dairy and Soy
Noah’s Bagels
Oggi Gourmet
Oleana Restaurant
Organic Valley - Family of Farms
Patagonia Boston
Rialto Restaurant
Seacoast Tent Rentals
Nancy Shippen
Starbucks Coffee Company
Stonyfield Farm
Stuff of Life
T.R. Miller Company
Trader Joe’s
Turtle Creek Winery
UCSC College 8 Senate &
Programs Office
Vermont Soy
Western Montana Growers Co-op
Wheat Montana
Whole Foods Market
Margaret Williams
Woodward at Ames
Lenard Zide
a n n ua l r e p o r t 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0 · 1 5
Two Guys, One Big Idea, Thousands Unite
real food challenge
For the past 19 years, The Food Project has been setting
that amount to the purchase of real food. “Real food” is
the standard for youth development and leadership
defined as food that nourishes consumers, producers,
through sustainable agriculture. Because it has become
communities, and the earth. Instead of a boycott, RFC
the model for so many organizations seeking to create
is mounting a “pro-cott” to strategically invest in real
a healthier food system by harnessing the passion and
food by aligning the power of voting with one’s dollars
energy of young people, it should come as no surprise
with the strength of collective action. Currently 3,900
that The Food Project attracts innovative and forward
students on 340 campuses nationwide are working
thinking people. Two of those people are Anim Steel
to make this change happen. If they are successful,
and David Schwartz.
the movement will shift $1 billion towards medium-
Anim and David met in
2003 and have worked
together for the past seven
years. Anim was hired
in 2002 as an associate
director to manage The
Food Project’s Dorchester
office. David began his
sized family farms that are too
big for niche markets and too
small for national chains. In two
years, RFC has already succeeded
in persuading 16 schools to make
firm policy commitments to real
food totaling $30 million.
A testament to the strength of the
work here when he was 14 years old, as part of the
movement and its early success is the recent award
Summer Youth Program. Their shared belief that
from the highly competitive Echoing Green Fellowship,
good food can be a powerful vehicle for social change
a seed fund for emerging social entrepreneurs. Anim
led them to partner with the California Student
and David were among the 16 out of 1,100 applicants
Sustainability Coalition and co-found the Real Food
selected to receive two years of funding.
Challenge (RFC) in 2008.
The Real Food Challenge embodies the best of The
What the Real Food Challenge aims to achieve is a
Food Project. It creates and helps to support visionary
major market shift in university food purchases by
advocates who will lead the next generation toward a
2020. The goal is $1 billion in ten years. Currently, our
more sustainable and just food system.
U.S. university system of roughly 4,000 schools spends
$4.7 billion on food. Over the next 10 years, RFC aims to
achieve a major market shift, redirecting 20 percent of
16 · the food project
To hear Anim and David articulate their vision and
learn more, visit 2010fellows.echoinggreen.org and
www.realfoodchallenge.org.
Henry Masters (in straw hat) when he was crew leader of Crew B in the summer of 2006
r e m e m b e r i n g h e n r y m a st e r s
1984-2009
In November 2009, The Food Project lost a beloved member of our community.
Henry Masters’s big heart and belief in the power of young people inspired
everyone who had the good fortune to be his friend and colleague. We miss him
deeply and are grateful for the time we had with him.
His sister, Anne, wrote: “The thread that runs through Henry’s life – his leadership,
purpose, mentoring, and capacity to effect change – is perhaps best expressed
through his ten-year relationship with The Food Project. Henry started there at age
14 as a crew member, rising through the ranks of summer positions to crew leader,
Roxbury site supervisor, and later, between college and graduate school, a year
full-time as youth programs coordinator, building programming and curricula that
ensured a level playing field for young participants from all backgrounds in the
Boston metropolitan area. The Food Project embodied Henry’s hopes and dreams
for society, not to mention his enjoyment of good food – grown well, harvested and
cooked lovingly, and distributed to those for whom a healthy diet was economically
challenging. It was a practical way to accomplish change and see growth of both
food and youth.”
Henry’s family established a fund at The Food Project in his memory. The generosity
of his friends and family supported an overnight D.I.R.T. Crew retreat on Block
Island in March. It was a joyful occasion for reflection and companionship, and
Henry would have loved it.
po
© 2 0 1 0 t h e f o o d p r o j e c t • f y f e d e s i g n • g r e i g carnannua
n al prhe o
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The Food Project’s mission is to create a thoughtful and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds
who work together to build a sustainable food system. Our community produces healthy food for residents of the city and
suburbs, provides youth leadership opportunities, and inspires and supports others to create change in their own communities.
o f f i c e s
administrative office :
10 Lewis Street Lincoln, MA 01773
t 781 259 8621 f 781 259 9659
program offices :
555 Dudley Street Dorchester, MA 02125
t 617 442 1322 f 617 442 7918
120 Munroe Street Lynn, MA 01901
t 781 346 6726 f 781 346 6727
1 · the food project