A Haverhill food pantry and two area farms were among 163 Massachusetts food system enterprises Wednesday sharing in $24.6 million in state grants.
Liz Murphy Open Hand Pantry, serving St. James and St. John the Baptist Parishes in Haverhill was awarded $45,594, while Smolak Farms of North Andover took away $118,452 and Long Hill Orchard of West Newbury received $30,920
The money comes from the Food Security Infrastructure Grant program, a competitive grant program managed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources and designed to ensure farmers and other local food producers are better connected to a strong and resilient food system.
“The food system represents so much of what makes Massachusetts great,” said Gov. Maura T. Healey. “From our national leadership in cranberries and fisheries, to our dairy and maple producers, to our farm-to-school and urban agriculture efforts, we are committed to building the state’s food security through these grants.”
Launched in 2020 as a recommendation of the Massachusetts Food Security Task Force, the program provides grants for capital infrastructure investments that increase access to locally produced food for families and individuals throughout the state who may be facing food insecurity, live in gateway cities or food deserts or otherwise face unequal access to food. The program seeks to ensure that farmers, fishers and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future supply chain issues.