We are Farming Falmouth – and we believe in food for all.

In the summer of 2020, Katrina Nevin, a board member of Farming Falmouth, was volunteering at a local farm and noticed how surplus produce was often left behind in the field. As Katrina tells it, “It seemed a shame to waste good food when there are so many people who need it… It wasn’t as if there was anything wrong with the food. It was simply a matter of the farmer’s time – it wasn’t always possible for him to pick the last of a crop in a field when a new crop needed to be planted.”   

With the farmer’s cooperation, Katrina began a Gleaning Program to collect ripe vegetables and fruits, and quickly deliver them to the Falmouth Service Center for distribution to local families. Many hands make light work! Thanks to our volunteers, more than 10,000 pounds of strawberries, eggplants, zucchini, peppers, squash, kale, pumpkins, beans, and carrots have since been donated to the Service Center - and all within just an hour of harvest. 

The "Share Your Bounty" project is another way that Farming Falmouth collects surplus produce for the Service Center. This program invites backyard growers to donate their extra vegetables by dropping them off at the weekly Falmouth Farmers’ Market. Our community gardens at Andrews Farm and at Emerald House began making contributions too; in fact some generous gardeners have dedicated their entire plots to growing exclusively for the Service Center as a way of giving back to our community. 

Last summer there was a surge in the number of households served by the Falmouth Service Center. According to the Falmouth Enterprise, demand in July 2022 rose by 75% from the summer before. “We’ve seen people coming in weekly for all those perishable articles that are so expensive at the store,” said Kerin Delaney, the Service Center’s Director. “Dairy products, meats and fresh produce are in high demand.”  

That same summer saw a 58% increase in the use of SNAP benefits – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - at the Falmouth Farmers Market. This year, the SNAP bonuses added during Covid are set to expire, yet the price of food continues to rise.  

Seeing a growing need, Farming Falmouth has decided to create a new Service Garden on Andrews Farm, with the support of Geoff Andrews. ALL of the food grown in this garden will be donated to the Falmouth Service Center. With help from the Barnstable County Extension, this project is already underway.  We’ll be clearing the land, weeding, and enriching the soil, and planting a test plot with sweet potatoes, kale, lettuces, garlic and onions. This year, we plan to put the entire field into production. We’ll need organic seeds, high quality compost, irrigation lines, weed stifling tarps, shovels, rakes and a shed for storage. 

Help give us the tools we need to build a Service Garden from scratch. 

“Food grown right here – that hasn’t traveled long distances – is as fresh and nutritious as it gets,” says Jeny Christian, our new field manager. “We want as many people to have access to it as possible.”

Your contribution to Farming Falmouth is a contribution for accessible, healthy food for all.  

Farming Falmouth is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization.  We are committed to connecting more people to fresh, organic, locally grown food. Building a resilient food system is not only good for the planet, it is essential to the health of our community.