Programs

  • Youth Development Programs

    The Food Project’s paid youth programs (ages 14–18) operate as a three-tiered pipeline with increasing leadership and community impact. Seed Crew (summer) combines farm work with workshops on food systems and social change. Youth progress into Dirt Crew (academic year) and Root Crew (year-round), taking on greater peer leadership and community-facing work. Dirt Crew builds raised-bed gardens for residents and leads volunteer sessions. Root Crew designs and implements initiatives advancing food access and community health, including farmers markets, events, and advocacy. Youth may continue into alumni fellowship roles supporting programming, mentorship, and organizational projects. Across all programs, youth build relationships across urban and suburban communities and diverse identities. The Pollinators middle school program (piloted in 2025) engages younger youth in food systems education and raised-bed gardening.
    Geographies
    Dorchester, Boston, MA, USA;
    Lincoln, MA, USA;
    Wenham, MA, USA;
    Lynn, MA, USA;
    Roxbury, Boston, MA, USA
    Dates
    Not indicated
    Source
    User-generated
    Food security,Sustainable development,Environmental education,Environmental justice,Community service for youth,Civic participation,Leadership development
    Young adults,Adolescents
    125
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  • Community Food Growing and Food Access Programs

    Our community programming includes operating three SNAP- and HIP-accessible farmers markets located in Ashmont, Dudley, and Lynn, expanding equitable access to fresh, local food across Greater Boston and the North Shore. We also run Build-a-Garden, a program that engages youth and volunteers in constructing raised-bed gardens for low- to moderate-income residents in Boston and Lynn. The Urban Agricultural Ambassador program provides Dudley residents with ongoing one-on-one and group-based food growing support. Additional programming includes Serve and Grow, a corporate and community volunteer program that engages volunteer groups in sustainable farm work across our sites. The Food Project also donates produce harvested from its four urban and suburban farms to local food access organizations throughout the region. In addition, our farms host plant sales and community gatherings, providing welcoming green space and opportunities for community connection.
    Geographies
    Lynn, MA, USA;
    Dorchester, Boston, MA, USA;
    Roxbury, Boston, MA, USA;
    Boston Metropolitan Area, USA;
    North Shore, MA, USA
    Dates
    Not indicated
    Source
    User-generated
    Agricultural education,Community food systems,Sustainable agriculture,Environmental education,Environmental justice,Environmental health
    Age groups,Multiracial people,People of African descent,People of Asian descent,People of European descent,People of Latin American descent,People of Middle Eastern descent,Economically disadvantaged people
    191K
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