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New Grants and Fund to Boost Agriculture Sustainability, Help Flood-Damaged Farms
Foundation: Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation
When Sam and Jared Newell opened Fruit Fair Supermarket in Chicopee, Mass., five years ago, they didn't have much.
"We only had a dream of helping our community with homegrown, healthy food," says Sam Newell, who plans to use a $500,000 state grant to build three rooftop greenhouses on her store's roof.
One will grow greens, such as microgreens, and the other two will use hydroponics and aeroponics, the Republican reports.
"As an immigrant, I feel if we don't grow what we eat, we can't have freedom," Newell says.
The project is one of 165 food security and resiliency initiatives funded by the state under a new program, the Boston Globe reports.
The grants range from $5,000 to $500,000 and will help farms, fisheries, and food providers from Cape Cod through the Berkshires make infrastructure improvements.
"This is more than about just reliefit is about recovery, it is about resilience, it's about sustainability," says Lt.
Gov.
Kim Driscoll, who announced the grants Thursday.
Massachusetts has been hit with a trio of weather events this year: a February freeze, a May frost, and flooding in July.
At least 75 farms covering more than 2,000 acres were affected,
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