Northeast shoppers can more easily find produce from California rather than food from farms in the town next door, even during the harvest. Coastal Food Shed (CFS) is changing that by helping to close the gap between Massachusetts shoppers and farmers, a refrigerator-sized gap.
Coastal Food Shed (CFS) brings farmers and communities in New Bedford and Fall River together, especially the consumers who lack access to fresh food. Their process follows three steps:
- Source: CFS meets Northeast farms and purchases their produce and dairy
- Store: CFS moves products to their warehouse cooler, keeping food until market
- Distribute: CFS brings food to neighborhoods without stores through mobile and online markets
The Massachusetts Food Trust Program (MFTP), co-run by LEAF, builds this food system. CFS focuses on infrastructure and distribution. MFTP’s loan for the CFS facility funded refrigerators to store the food before it gets to markets where people live.
The MFTP loan helps CFS pursue its mission. Board Chair Karen Schwalbe explains: “For farmers to reach markets, we need ways to move food to people and make it affordable. SNAP programs, HIP dollars, and market coupons help. But these programs work only if food reaches communities. Coastal Food Shed builds that bridge between farmers and people.” The MFTP loan, by LEAF, provides the cold storage, a vital link in the chain of our local food system.