Calendar - Event View

Grow Food Northampton: Food and Farming Justice for Our Community

Join Executive Director Alisa Klein to learn about Grow Food Northampton (GFN), an organization building a racially, economically, and environmentally just local food system. Founded in 2010, GFN responds to the immediate needs of community members grappling with food insecurity, while also working on long-term solutions for our local food system. GFN provides farmland to 10 farms and runs a 320-plot Community Garden on its 121-acre Community Farm in Florence. It operates a Giving Garden that donates produce to local food pantries and community meal sites; manages year-round farmers markets; offers educational opportunities for learners of all ages; and operates Free Mobile Farmers Markets and community gardens at low-income housing throughout Northampton.

Alisa Klein brings to her work as the Executive Director of Grow Food Northampton deep connections to food justice and environmental sustainability. Growing up in an agricultural community, she tended to apple trees and flower gardens, and raised organic vegetables. As a Northampton City Councilor from 2014 – 2020, she wrote and passed legislation banning pesticide use in municipal areas. Before coming to GFN, Alisa was the principal in her own consulting practice specializing in public health and policy approaches to preventing interpersonal violence and achieving conflict resolution.