UMass Chan Debuts Container Farm With Hopes To Fight Local Food Insecurity
It can produce up to three tons of produce every year.
UMass Chan debuted its Wellness Farm. (Byran Goodchild)
WORCESTER, MA — A local school celebrated the opening of its on-campus wellness farm with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Wellness Farm at UMass Chan Medical School was officially unveiled on Friday. It's a 40-foot hydroponic container farm that can produce up to three tons of produce every year.
UMass Chan hopes that the farm will help fight food insecurity in the community. It will provide food for Worcester Public Schools’ North Quadrant schools and the Max Baker Resource Center, a student food pantry located on UMass Chan’s campus, as well as support staff members in need.
UMass Chan unveiled its Wellness Farm with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday (Byran Goodchild).
“This will truly be a resource for the entire community,” Chancellor Michael F. Collins said. “The harvest will help us build on our long-standing partnership with Worcester Public Schools. You can't do homework, you can't study and you can't have a good night's sleep if you're hungry. The fact that these children can bring home food, it’s such an important thing.”
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The medical school partnered with a local nonprofit, 2Gether We Eat, to help organize and operate the farm.
A student at Quinsigamond Community College will oversee the farm's operations. Lighton is in charge of the farm's plant care, water and nutrient management, as well as cleaning, pruning and transplanting.
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Special guests at the ribbon-cutting ceremony included Rep. James P. McGovern, Sen. Robyn Kennedy, Worcester City Manager Eric Batista and Mayor Joe Petty.
“It is fitting that UMass Chan is home to the city’s newest wellness farm because access to nutritious food and health care are inextricably linked,” Rep. McGovern said. “I'm grateful to UMass Chan for taking this step forward to better connect our community with nutritious produce.”