On Thursday, July 15 we kicked off our first in-person event in over a year in collaboration with Eastie Farm.
Kannan Thiruvengadam, Director of Eastie Farm, gave us a tour of the farm where we saw a variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs being grown, such as corn, turnips, lettuce and even a mulberry tree. Although we just missed mulberry season, event attendees were lucky enough to try a couple mulberries (make sure to visit around June to mid-July to get mulberries at their peak!). Some of our members also had the chance to help the Farm Manager, Alex, load soil into the back of their truck. In addition to helping at their location at 294 Sumner Street, Alex will be leading their efforts in creating geothermal greenhouses at another location. You can read more about their upcoming project here.
We ended the event with a quick composting lesson, filled with some tips and tricks from Kannan. Our members were also in for a couple laughs that night from the comedy show, featuring Like 2 Laugh productions. Every Thursday night, Like 2 Laugh productions holds a series of stand-up comedy shows where all proceeds are split between the comedians and Eastie Farm.
Our members had an amazing time learning more about Eastie Farm and enjoyed the comedy show. We recommend checking the farm and comedy show out if you have a chance and look forward to future collaborations with Eastie Farm in the future.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Eastie Farm if you can.
ABOUT EASTIE FARM
Founded in the Spring of 2015, Eastie Farm is an urban farm located in East Boston. It all began with an idea from their neighbors who saw the opportunity to turn an empty and overgrown lot into a community farm. With the help of dozens of volunteers, the idea became a reality and was transformed into a nonprofit that would benefit the people of East Boston. We had the opportunity to learn more about Eastie Farm and its impact, directly from their Director, Kannan Thiruvengadam.
Eastie Farm is a garden for the community where their gate is always open. Residents are welcome to come and harvest anything from their farm for free. All they ask in return is that you properly harvest any fruits and vegetables when they are ready so the crop can regrow. If you don’t know how to properly harvest them, the farm also provides free workshops. In addition to being a community farm, Eastie Farm became a meal distribution site during the pandemic. East Boston is home to many immigrants who were greatly affected by the pandemic and lost their jobs. Kannan and his team saw this as another opportunity to help their community and using some ingredients grown straight from their farm, they prepared meals for those in need. They even delivered the food to those individuals who were considered high-risk. Although they do not currently provide this service, Eastie Farm does have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program that supports local farms in MA as well as their own.