Today we’d like to introduce you to Greg Maslowe.
Greg, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Newton Community Farm began in 2005 when a group of residents organized to try to save the last working farm in Newton. In 2006 the City of Newton signed a license agreement with Newton Community Farm Inc to operate the property (which has been farmed since the mid- to late-1600s) for the benefit of the community.
In the past 12 years, we have established ourselves as a leader in urban/peri-urban intensive growing. From our small location, we support both a Summer and Late Fall CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), a 5-day/week farm stand, a booth at one of our local farmers’ markets, and donate produce to our local food pantry as well as a shelter for women and girls. In addition, to produce, we grow over 20,000 seedlings for sale every spring as a way to promote and support home gardening.
Newton Community Farm also offers educational programming for pre-K through adults, including full day, week-long summer camps for a variety of ages and adult classes on a variety of farm and food-related topics.
We offer two High School Summer Intern programs, one for students wanting to learn more about food production and one for students wanting to learn about farm-based education. While most of our High School Interns come from Newton and it’s immediate neighboring communities, we have had students from as far away as Beverly on the North Shore down to Walpole in the South.
We offer a variety of community events throughout the year beginning in May with our annual Seedling Sale, a farm-to-table dinner in July, our Fall Festival in September, and Halloween on the Farm for youngsters. We also provide space for painting groups, the Middlesex County Beekeepers, and rent our barn for both public and private events.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have been very lucky to have received strong support from the Newton community and from the City government. The farm has a strong base of volunteers, from board members to farm stand workers to newsletter editors and so much more. We wouldn’t be where we are today without this incredible outpouring of support. We have, of course, had our challenges.
Fundraising is always difficult for such a small organization, but even here we’ve received amazing support from our community. One of our biggest challenges is simply getting our name out there. Even after 12 years we still have Newton residents stop by saying that they didn’t know we exist.
We have had a very active, engaged board who works well with our small staff. This strong, positive working relationship between our board and our staff has been one of the keys to our success. We are currently at something of a juncture in our journey. We feel pressure to increase our staffing but are struggling to find ways to support (fund) this growth.
We are in a fast-changing part of Metro-West. The farm is located in/or adjacent to the N2 innovation corridor. This is a mixed blessing. The increased development means more cars driving by the farm which hopefully translates into more customers at our farm stand and more kids in our program. But it also means that congestion around the farm has increased significantly in the past 10 years. Hopefully, as work on 128 is completed and many of the construction projects nearby are finished traffic flow will improve.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Newton Community Farm – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are what is traditionally known as a “market garden”. We specialize in high-quality vegetables and fruit. We have a reputation for very high quality produce–customers are often amazed at how much longer our vegetables last in their refrigerators compared to those bought at the grocery store or even at specialty produce markets. We also select the varieties we grow for flavor rather than “shippability”. People definitely notice this difference when they try our product. The items were probably best known for are our heirloom tomatoes, our super sweet carrots, and the amazing apples and Asian pears we grow in our small orchard.
Likewise, our educational programs are known for their very high quality. We are fortunate to have a wonderful education staff who craft engaging, age-appropriate programs to teach people of all ages and abilities about all aspects of our food system, from production to distribution, to consumption. Our classes are small so students get lots of personal attention.
One of the aspects of our educational offerings that I am most proud of is the work with do with the special needs community. We have worked with groups from local middle schools, high schools, as well as adult groups to make farm-based education accessible to everyone. We also, through the generosity of our community of supporters, are able to offer scholarships to our educational programs, again ensuring that farm-based education is available to all.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are in the process of developing a plan for expanding our staffing in order to enhance the sustainability of our organization. This will shift day-to-day work away from volunteer board members, allowing them to focus their energies on fundraising and strategic planning. Concomitant with this we will be seeking to expand our boards, seeking out new members with experience in fundraising and non-profit management.
We are also always on the lookout for ways to expand our growing area. The demand for our produce outstrips what we are able to grow on our small farm. While there is still farmland in more rural parts of our state, it can be very challenging for urban and peri-urban farms in Metro West to find (and afford) new land.
Contact Info:
- Address: 303 Nahanton Street
Newton MA 02459 - Website: www.newtoncommunityfarm.org
- Phone: 617-916-9655
- Email: newtoncommunityfarm@gmail.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/newtoncommunityfarm/
- Twitter: @NCFtweets
Image Credit:
Ken and Margaret Mallory
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
