As the trees in our food forests grow, our neighbors have access to more fresh fruit, berries, nuts, and other food sources right in their neighborhoods.
Sites across the coalition have incorporated fruit and nut trees, perennial plants, annual crops, herbs and other edibles into their landscapes. Food forests are designed to address food access by providing habitat for low-maintenance, edible food-producing plants to which all stewards, volunteers and neighbors can eat.
Some sites in the Coalition, like the Old West Church Food Forest and the Ellington Community Garden, donate produce and other food to shelters, elder care facilities, churches, and neighbors in need. We will begin to measure these donation amounts in future years.
Food access is a huge part of community resilience, and we work alongside many others in the food justice movement to increase accessibility and equity within Boston’s food systems.