The Community Food Distribution Project makes food available five days per week.
On-site distribution at Jackson Street School in Northampton is organized three days each week by Northampton Survival Center, and deliveries are made to 11 local sites twice per week by Grow Food Northampton.
Food is available at all locations to area residents, even if they did not need help accessing food in the past.
Jackson Street School Pickups
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 12 Noon – 3pm
By Northampton Survival Center
Bags will be distributed to clients directly outside the school cafeteria and volunteers will assist with loading into your car.
Tuesday Deliveries
11am – 12 Noon
*Community Food Distribution Project food packages are available for pickup at the Northampton Public Schools meals delivery program to kids under the age of 18 on Tuesdays.
Doorstep delivery is also available at Hampshire Heights, Florence Heights, and Meadowbrook.
Signup is required for doorstep delivery and recommended for all who would like a Tuesday delivery. Please fill out this form or call your resident services coordinator.
Thursday Deliveries
Thursdays: 11am – 12 Noon
- Salvo House
- McDonald House
- Forsander Apartments
- Cahill Apartments
- Tobin Manor Apartments
- Michael’s House
Grow Food Northampton will deliver packages to these sites and Northampton Housing Authority staff will distribute the packages to residents.
FAQ's
Bags will include shelf-stable pantry items and fresh produce, in large part purchased from local farms. Dairy, meat, fish, and fresh eggs will be included as available. Bags are sized according to household size and are generally enough food for one week.
About the Community Food Distribution Project
The service area for on-site food distribution at the Jackson Street School includes the following towns: Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Florence, Goshen, Hadley, Hatfield, Haydenville, Huntington, Leeds, Middlefield, Northampton, Plainfield, South Hadley, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington. If you live outside of these towns and need help, get in touch with us and we will connect you.
About the Community Food Distribution Project
In March 2020, in response to the needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, Grow Food Northampton and Northampton Survival Center partnered with other local organizations such as Community Action Pioneer Valley, the Northampton Housing Authority, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the City of Northampton, and Northampton Public Schools to swiftly launch the Community Food Distribution Project (CFDP). The CFDP ensures that members of our community who are experiencing increasing food insecurity in the pandemic have access to nutritious food on a weekly basis.
Grow Food Northampton’s role in the project is unique: we are purchasing fresh produce, winter-storage crops, and other farm products from local farmers to keep them afloat during this time. This local produce serves as a staple in all of the food packages that are being distributed and delivered throughout the community. We are proud to have constructed this just and sustainable food system in Northampton; we are keeping our local farmers whole while feeding members of our community!
We are especially grateful to the local funder collaborative, Local Roots Care, that came together to provide the very generous seed funding necessary to ensure that Grow Food Northampton could procure produce and other products from farms around Northampton. Thank you Marty Wohl, for your initiative and all of the other funding partners that joined you!
Increase in emergency food needs due to COVID-19
Monthly averages before March 2020:
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Individual visits: 2,300
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New individuals: 63
During the first three months of the CFDP:
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Individual visits: 12,427
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New individuals: 2,545
Community Food Distribution Project Stats
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Over 100 Northampton families fed per day
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Groceries to make over 500 meals per week
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80+ volunteers packing, distributing, and delivering
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Nutritious ingredients sourced from over 15 farms in the Valley
Local Farms
As of early June, we have purchased over 10,000 pounds of produce and other products from the following local farms:
- Apex Orchards of Shelburne Falls
- Crimson & Clover Farm of Florence
- Hart Farm of Conway
- Joe Czajkowski & Lakeside Organics of Hadley
- Flora Farm
- Kitchen Garden Farm of Sunderland
- Nourse Farms of Whately
- Red Fire Farm of Granby
- Red Barn Honey of Northampton
- Riquezas del Campo of Hatfield
- Riverland Farm of Sunderland
- Song Sparrow Farm of Florence, MA
- Sunrise Farms of Colrain
- Warner Farm of Sunderland
- Wingate Farm of Hinsdale, NH
Featured Recipes
Maple Dressing
Maple Dressing This dressing is a classroom favorite in our Grow Food Kids program! It sweetens up any tossed salad! Couldn’t we all use a little sweetness? 3 TBSP Fresh…
Glazed Carrot Coins
Ingredients: 12 medium carrots (2 pounds) 1½ Tbsp veg. or olive oil 2 tbsp orange juice ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper* *optional Directions: Wash and slice carrots carrots…
Baked Sweet Potato
Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes (1-2 large) Butter Salt Black pepper ** Optional: a splash of maple syrup, sour cream, chives, yogurt, or cinnamon. Directions: Scrub potatoes and pierce with…
One Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients: 2 cups chicken 1 cup water 1 cup pineapple, diced 1 cup pineapple juice 1 bell pepper, diced ¼ white onion, diced 1 cup long grain white rice 1…
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Thank you to all of our funding partners!
We are enormously grateful to our funders for this project! Our community has been generous beyond belief in supporting our local farmers and feeding our neighbors. We could not have done this work without the donations of hundreds of individual donors, the local business community, and local foundations.
Local Roots Care
We are in it for the long haul.
Grow Food Northampton is committed to continuing to deliver food to our neighbors in need throughout the pandemic and in the post-pandemic recovery period. Your continued financial support will make this possible. Please donate to the Community Food Distribution Project so we can feed our community.
I’m a ‘1 %er.’ Not through hard work and perseverance, nor by my ingenuity, nor vision, but by my family inheritance. My inheritance money accumulated due to many of the exact factors that have kept my Valley neighbors in many generations of economic and social insecurity: unfair labor practices; systemic racism in housing, employment, and education; and American capitalism and world imperialism. What an opportune time to return some of ‘my’ money ($20,000) to those nearby, who are suffering economic and food insecurity in this time of COVID. The Community Food Distribution Project (CFDP) has created an amazing distribution network between our Valley farmers and our community suffering food insecurity. What an awesome opportunity to donate!! Please consider taking this perfect historical moment with me to return some of your family wealth to our beloved Valley farmers and neighbors!