Board of Directors
Elsbeth Crowe, President
Jennine Guilbault, Clerk
Edie McCasland, Treasurer
Joseph Santangelo, Board Member
Staff
Lee Gadway, Community Farm Manager (He, Him, His)
Amy Tarlow-Lewis, Founder and Executive Director (She, Her, Hers)
Key Farm Volunteers
Lynn Delorenzo, Food Pantry Coordinator
Our Mission
Littleton Community Farm’s mission is to reduce food insecurity in our area, provide service learning opportunities, and be a place for community connection. We aim to inspire through hands-on exposure to agriculture and growing for our entire community.
Our Vision
Littleton Community Farm is a gathering place dedicated to fostering an appreciation of and connection among land, food, neighbors and community.
Our Core Values
Honor
We celebrate the preservation of our land, agricultural heritage, and community for the enrichment of current and future generations.
Inspire
We foster an environment dedicated to discovery through service learning and community engagement.
Grow
Above all we value equitable access to healthful food regardless of income, wealth or race.
Our History
Click here to read about our history.
Beneficiaries
Our work accomplishes the goal of reducing food insecurity and provides access to nutrient-dense fresh and local vegetables. The Hunger Relief Program allows us to improve one of the social determinants of health: food security. Since 2015 we have donated over 36,000 lbs. of diversified crops.
LCF grows, harvests, and distributes healthful, nutrient-dense, and culturally relevant mixed vegetables for a minimum of 30 weeks, from May – November, in Middlesex and Worcester Counties, including the gateway cities of Lowell and Fitchburg. The food donations support households with at least 51% of beneficiaries who are low to moderate income or 80% of the area’s median income.
Our programs target low-income families, including children, families, and the elderly in towns such as Littleton, Lowell, Ayer, and Shirley. The farm actively seeks out food partners and delivers food to towns with residents with higher rates of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in food deserts, language isolation, high disease burden, or low access to transportation.
The defination of “food insecurity” or “very low food security” (as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture). LCF serves mainly Littleton, Ayer, Devens, Fitchberg, Leominster, Lowell and Shirley through Littleton Elder and Human Services, Catholic Charities Food Pantry in Lowell and Loaves and Fishes in Devens. Through our partnership with Growing Places in Leominster, our food is distributed through their SNAP mobile market in North Central, MA, covering Ayer, Athol, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Leominster, Shirley, Winchendon, and more. Through Boston Area Gleaners (distribution to over 500 hunger relief agencies in the greater Boston area), we have an even wider reach. Pre Pandemic Middlesex County has 140,000 people who experience food insecurity or low food security, with a significant percentage being children. MA Department of Education asserts that 23% of children in Ayer/Shirley, and 50% in Lowell, are economically disadvantaged.