Diego has been involved with Grow Food in one way or another since 2017, when he served an AmeriCorps term managing the Giving Garden. That year he set out to start his own farm, leasing land in Haydenville at first, and began leasing land from Grow Food in 2019. Song Sparrow Farm grew crispy, delicious salad mix, among other vegetables, and sold to local restaurants, grocery stores, and a 30-member CSA. Diego ran Song Sparrow Farm adjacent to the Community Garden for three more years before selling the business. He joined as a Board Member in 2021, “retired” from farming, and traded an acre for a 20×20 community garden plot. Now, Diego works part time for MDAR, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, coordinating a grant program for farmers on protected APR land. He also stays busy with farm/garden work and bookkeeping on the side. He has a deep appreciation for Grow Food’s land stewardship values as well as the work of bringing fresh, local food to folks with limited incomes.
