Berkshire Grown works to establish food justice in our community, and recognizes the importance for everyone to have access to fresh, nutrient-dense food. We have two programs that address food insecurity at the same time as supporting our local Berkshire farmers and food producers.
Farm to Food Access, established in 2021, is a collaborative effort managed by Berkshire Grown. Currently we work with Berkshire Bounty, the Community Health Program in Great Barrington, the People’s Pantry in Great Barrington, and the South Congregational Church in Pittsfield, MA Farm to Food Access sets up large-scale purchasing contracts between local farmers and food pantries, providing a reliable year-round link to fresh, local, nutrient-dense produce, meat, and eggs.
Share the Bounty, is a long-running program. In the 2021 farm season, Berkshire Grown purchased 93 CSA shares from 22 Community Supported Agriculture farms delivered to food pantries, community kitchens, and participating WIC families for weekly shares of fresh produce, meat, cheese, and eggs.
Market Match helps boost food budgets by matching the balance on SNAP shoppers’ EBT cards. At the Berkshire Grown Winter Farmers Markets, we accept SNAP and HIP and provide a 100% for match the SNAP balance on your card, up to $25.
Take the opportunity meet local farmers and producers at the eight indoor Berkshire Grown Winter Farmers Markets, held monthly, November through April. Click here for more information about the Winter Farmers Markets.
Market Match helps make farmers markets more affordable.
Most Berkshire County farmers markets participate in at least one of the following benefit programs:
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
HIP (Healthy Incentives Program)
WIC Farmers Market Coupons
Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FNMP) Coupons
In addition, many markets provide incentive programs to increase the value of these benefits. The Market Match brochure helps people find the days, times, and locations of the markets that accept their benefits.
Markets that have a matching program are designated with the “Market Match” logo. Programs vary at individual markets, so visiting the Market Manager is the best way to get the details of each market’s program.
Berkshire County HIP vendor list is now available.
Thanks to a joint effort from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and Berkshire Grown, we now have a comprehensive list of all HIP vendor locations in Berkshire County. Listed by town, you can find the farm or market name, vendor type (CSA, Farm Stand, or Farmers Market), location and operating hours. Click the link to see the list!
This August and September, the Eat Local MA iOS and Android app is here to help you to find nearby farms, farmers’ markets, food businesses, and restaurants that have committed to sourcing local ingredients.
Download the free mobile app today on iOS and Android stores, and begin finding local food and farms near you starting August 1st. Submit pictures of your receipts through the app to level up and win local food prizes!
The Eat Local MA mobile app is part of a statewide campaign organized by the Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Coalition of Local Food and Farms to encourage buying food grown and harvested by Massachusetts farmers and fishermen.
Online Sales Platforms for Farmers
Heyer Performance created a document outlining the main capabilities and limitations of four e-commerce-enabled web platforms: Shopify, SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly. Each of these platforms meet the following criteria: Speedy and easy setup and basic function and approachable pricing. Click here for the e-commerce-web based comparison prepared by Heyer Performance Inc.
Many thanks to Heyer Performance for the creation of this valuable resource for farmers! For more information about Heyer Performance and their work, please visit heyerperformanceinc.com.
Read the recently released Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) BULLETIN 2020-18, FARM LABOR MANAGEMENT, Considerations for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Related to Coronavirus & COVID-19
