The best part of summer for me is the emergence of so much delicious, fresh local food. At A Place To Turn, we experience an abundance of local fruits and vegetables from our farm partners at Framingham Community Farm, Stearns Farm, Powisset Farm, and Gleaners every week.  It is always exciting when the super fresh greens and radishes arrive, and even better when the tomatoes, zucchini and corn fill our farmer’s market. It is great to see families loading their cars with bags overflowing with Swiss chard, scallions and carrot tops.

This has been a summer of growth for A Place To Turn. That is true of our garden plots, planted by the Foxhill Garden Club, that are bursting with cucumbers, tomatillos, tomatoes and herbs. It is also true of our staff, which has increased by 3 members this summer, bringing us to 9. More staff means we can continue to increase food access. Every month we are holding 5 mobile markets and serving over 1,300 families through our Community Food Program. That is in addition to the 1,000 families visiting the pantry every month.  

We are not expanding programming by ourselves. We are doing it in close collaboration with social service agencies, volunteers, donors, and most importantly, the people who trust us enough to help them feed their families. Like the tomatoes in our garden that thrive next to the basil, we can only play our role in building a strong community alongside so many others committed to doing the same.

So, this summer, and in every season, I invite you to join us in any way you can. There are lots of different ways -big and small – to make a lasting impact on your community.

Rebecca Gallo