Sourcing Locally During the Pandemic
While COVID-19 has posed challenges for large portions of our food systems, the pandemic has also opened a new window for connecting people with locally grown and produced foods. The threat of COVID-19 has shuttered restaurants around the country and threatened the stability of supply chains and processing capabilities, yet farmers continue to work tirelessly to innovate strategies to transform the industry and keep people fed. Additionally, this disruption may provide an opportunity to adapt consumer habits to buy food closer to where it is grown.
Buying local is a boon to the local economy and supporting our local food systems preserves family farms, reduces transportation costs and environmental impacts, and helps increase access to healthy and affordable food. To support the local economy during and beyond the pandemic, here are some options that will bring healthy locally sourced food directly to you:
Direct order from farmers
Farm-2-Door is a Northwood based delivery service that supplies products from local farms selected by the Community Farmer’s Allegiance for their high standards of quality, human treatment of animals, and environmental conservation. https://www.cfaeats.com
Lilac Hedge Farm works to increase access to healthy, local, and safe food by offering an expanded home delivery service on a wide variety of produce, dairy products, meat and seafood. https://lilachedgefarm.com
Farmers to You offers neighborhood pickup and delivery for over 300 items sourced from over 80 farms in Massachusetts and Vermont.https://farmerstoyou.com
Mass Food Delivery brings healthy, locally grown and produced food to consumers on a weekly basis and accepts SNAP benefits and provide free delivery for SNAP customers. https://massfooddelivery.com
Sunderland Farm Collaborative is a group of local farmers in the Pioneer Valley which offers high-quality organic vegetables and local farm products. https://sunderlandfarmcollaborative.localfoodmarketplace.com
Veggie-Go was launched in March 2020 by the Three River Farmers Alliance to mobilize farmers during the pandemic to provide locally grown products to households throughout the Northeast. https://www.threeriverfa.com/veggiego
Local Harvest is an all-volunteer online farmers’ market that runs monthly delivery services to provide farm fresh produce while farmers’ markets are closed.
The Boston Public Market may currently be closed due to public health concerns, but community members can still support vendors through a pop-up outdoor market and delivery options. https://bostonpublicmarket.org
Dole & Bailey provides a home delivery from a Boston-area restaurant distribution company, shipping frozen packaged meats, cheeses, and more. www.doleandbailey.com
Eat Boston Oysters delivers “snack packs” of premium caviar, oysters, and other Massachusetts favorites. www.eatbostonoysters.com
Walden Local Meat is a butchery best known for direct-to-consumer delivery. All meat is sourced from sustainable farms around the Northeast and can be customized and shared. www.waldenlocalmeat.com
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farms can be found throughout Massachusetts, which offer weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables, fruits, and herbs as close to the consumer as possible. https://massnrc.org/farmlocator/map.aspx?Type=CSA
Mobile Apps
Market 2Day is a mobile app which brings local food to consumers using farmers markets as distribution points, delivering both to homes and community hubs. https://www.market2dayapp.com/support
Whats Good is an online marketplace for local sources of farm-grown produce, coffee, and specialty products www.sourcewhatsgood.com
Sous Chef offers pantry items and long-lasting vegetables, as well as a virtual platform for learning from professional chefs around the country www.cheft.co
Groceries at Restaurants
Bow Market: Safe Supply brings Somerville vendors together to create a contact-free shopping experience every week. www.bowmarketsomerville.com
Forage is a Cambridge restaurants currently offering a prepared-for-takeout menu along with local product boxes filled with items from nearby farms www.foragecambridge.com
Café Landwer in Boston’s Cleveland Circle is maximizing their existing distributions channels to sell groceries packages as well as sweet and savory meal kits www.landwercafe.com
The Juice Box supplies 15-20 lb produce shares in partnership with local distributors and growers, bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to South Boston www.juiceboxboston.com
Brato Brewhouse offers ready-to-cook meal kits for families along with different beers and jars of pickles
Mei Mei on Park Drive provides make-at-home dumpling kits with wrappers, cooked fillings, and folding instructions, along with a web store that sells home essentials. www.meimeiboston.com
Paul W. Mark Distributors is an Everett-based specialty food distributor currently offering curbside pickup for ready-to-cook meal kids for family friendly dishes and will donate $5 from every order to the National Restaurant Association’s Relief Fund. www.paulwmarks.com