Special to the Times-Free Press
It may be winter, but Eastie Farm’s production has not slowed down. This week, Eastie Farm staff packed 100 CSA bags full of shiitake mushrooms, lettuce, radish, arugula, kale, and basil that will end up in the hands of patients at Cambridge Health Alliance’s Everett Care Center.
In October 2025, Eastie Farm received Mass General Brigham Community Health Impact Funds to support Eastie Farm Food Security: their initiative to increase the number of free Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares distributed to residents facing food insecurity. This investment expands access to healthy, locally grown foods for families through partnerships with local farmers, food hubs, senior living facilities, and schools.
This winter, Eastie Farm is producing 100 CSA shares worth of fresh produce from their mushroom and hydroponic farms every month. These hyper-local CSA shares are delivered to Cambridge Health Alliance’s Everett Care Center. There, they are distributed to Everett Care Center patients who are prescribed a bag of healthy groceries.
Cambridge Health Alliance’s team says, “The Produce Prescription Program at Cambridge Health Alliance’s Everett Care Center reaches 100 families facing barriers to accessing fresh, healthy foods. Our partnership with Eastie Farm significantly expands access to fresh nutritious produce, a foundation for health. Receiving a monthly bag of locally grown vegetables not only improves patient’s ability to cook healthier meals, but also sparks conversations about nutrition, recipes, and lifestyle changes. The patients in the program often tell us how excited they are for the vegetables and to share meals with their families. We are grateful to partner with Eastie Farm to connect healthcare with real, practical support that improves health, and strengthens community-based health partnerships.”
“Eastie Farm works to create a more equitable and sustainable food system,” says Morgan Barlin, Eastie Farm’s Food Program Manager. “Like East Boston, the City of Everett faces high rates of food insecurity. Eastie Farm’s donations provide high quality, healthy local produce to patients with determined need. It’s one thing for a medical professional to tell their patient to eat healthier. It’s another to have a free bag of groceries ready for them, with recipes and storage guides to make the food more approachable.”
A thank you to Mass General Brigham Community Health Impact Funds for supporting this work.