Spring 2018 Greater Quabbin Food Alliance

by Kat Kowalski

As the Regional Conservation Coordinator for the farm conservation program at Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust, I am in charge of planning the Greater Quabbin Food Alliance. A twice yearly meeting that brings together groups and people from the region involved in the food system. They then further break into focus groups to discuss progress and actions to take. The Greater Quabbin Food Alliance meeting is a chance to come together as a community and identify ways to further improve our food system!

I received feedback that this Spring’s Food Alliance gathering was the best one yet. We invited local makers to showcase and sell their products, and this really added fresh energy and excitement to the gathering. Not only that, but every working group closed the day with a meeting time and projects to get started on right away. The Food Access and Health group is becoming more independent, which is the hope for each of the groups so we can keep building capacity and relationships within the community. This happened in the past with the Farm-to-Institution working group, so I’m excited that this trend is continuing. The Farm and Food Business Viability group is meeting soon and has many ideas for projects we can all work on to reduce barriers that small producers face, and the Food Waste Reduction and Composting group is planning a workshop series for business owners. I look forward to continuing my service next year and following through on a lot of these great initiatives!

Kat Kowalski served as a Regional Conservation Coordinator at Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust for TerraCorps 2017-2018