Gaining Ground

Gaining Ground Gaining Ground grows organic produce for hunger relief with help from volunteers of all ages and abilities, who work and learn in our fields. For free.

We're also part of research studies to grow healthy soil systems through regenerative, no-till farming practices. Based in historic Concord, Massachusetts, Gaining Ground grows 125,000 pounds of organic produce for hunger relief with help from 2,500 volunteers of all ages and abilities, who work and learn in our fields. In short, we grow food and we give it away to people who need it. We work hard to grow healthy soil and high-quality produce, provide an exceptional experience to each volunteer, serve the needs of our recipients and maximize the generous support of our donors. Throughout the harvest season, produce from Gaining Ground’s farm goes to food pantries, meal programs and shelters in Greater Boston and Eastern Massachusetts. Our approach is local and sustainable—most of our produce is distributed within 20 miles of our farm and within 24 hours of harvest. Some groups use our produce to prepare a free meal distributed to people who need it. Others give it away as part of providing free food to people in need. In addition, we are participating in regional and national agricultural research projects to improve upon and expand methods of regenerative, no-till farming to grow healthy, more productive soils. These methods allow us to better withstand extreme weather events and can directly mitigate climate change by pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and putting it back into the soil, where it directly benefits crop health.

A successful partnership with Minuteman High School provides students the opportunity to get field experience, literally...
03/12/2026

A successful partnership with Minuteman High School provides students the opportunity to get field experience, literally, that complements the concepts they are learning in the classroom. The school offers a horticulture and plant science program major where students prepare for careers in sustainable landscape horticulture, plant science, turf management, and greenhouse management.

Groups of Minuteman students visit the farm weekly to volunteer and gain hands-on experience on a working farm with projects like planting and harvesting. In addition, students have the opportunity to practice other landscaping tasks like pruning trees and shrubs, managing invasive plants like bittersweet, and maintaining perennial plantings. These helpful visits begin in March, pause during summer break, and resume until November. We look forward to their return this spring!

03/11/2026

Gallons of sap collected from local sugar maples, boiling down into sweet maple syrup.

Gaining Ground welcomed over 100 donors, volunteers, and partners for the annual Maple Sugaring Open House. Attendees v...
03/10/2026

Gaining Ground welcomed over 100 donors, volunteers, and partners for the annual Maple Sugaring Open House. Attendees visited the sugar shack to see how maple syrup is made, enjoyed seasonal snacks, and got to peek inside the greenhouse to see what's growing. A sweet opportunity for the Gaining Ground community to come together!

Learn more about Gaining Ground at www.gainingground.org

Gaining Ground is seeking a Groundskeeper for the 2026 season to work independently to maintain the farm’s grounds under...
03/10/2026

Gaining Ground is seeking a Groundskeeper for the 2026 season to work independently to maintain the farm’s grounds under supervision of the Director of Agriculture and the Farm Manager.

This part-time, seasonal position runs from April to November (precise start/end dates TBD), for as many as 15 hours per week at height of the season over 2-3 days per week. The hours can be flexible.

Learn more about this opportunity at https://gainingground.org/were-hiring-2026-groundskeeper/

Getting a peek at the evaporator in the Gaining Ground sugar shack, as sap boils down into sweet maple syrup!
03/09/2026

Getting a peek at the evaporator in the Gaining Ground sugar shack, as sap boils down into sweet maple syrup!

This beautiful mural is featured on the side of two stacked shipping containers that house the vertical hydroponic garde...
03/06/2026

This beautiful mural is featured on the side of two stacked shipping containers that house the vertical hydroponic garden and mushroom farm at Eastie Farm in East Boston.

Eastie Farm uses many innovative strategies to expand access to locally grown produce for the community, and we are proud to call them partners.

We visited the Alcott Elementary School in Concord, where the students are gearing up for this year's Read for Seeds Rea...
03/05/2026

We visited the Alcott Elementary School in Concord, where the students are gearing up for this year's Read for Seeds Read-a-Thon! This beloved tradition introduces children to the farm while encouraging them to read. Family and friends "sponsor" the reader by the page or by the book, and all funds raised help purchase this year's seeds for the farm.

Later in the season, these students will visit the farm for some hands-on learning about how some of their favorite veggies are grown from the very seeds they helped to purchase.

We got a peek inside partner Eastie Farm's vertical hydroponic farm in East Boston. They are growing fresh vegetables an...
03/04/2026

We got a peek inside partner Eastie Farm's vertical hydroponic farm in East Boston. They are growing fresh vegetables and herbs inside a converted shipping container. A 30-foot container can grow the equivalent of 2.5 acres!

No soil, no sun, but lots of greens!

Each year, Gaining Ground taps dozens of sugar maple trees throughout Concord. Maple season typically runs 4-6 weeks bas...
03/03/2026

Each year, Gaining Ground taps dozens of sugar maple trees throughout Concord. Maple season typically runs 4-6 weeks based on the weather. This season's weather is off to a wacky start, but our fingers are crossed that sap continues to run.

Investments in winter growing are paying off! In January, Gaining Ground donated 1,105 pounds (6,619 individual servings...
03/02/2026

Investments in winter growing are paying off!

In January, Gaining Ground donated 1,105 pounds (6,619 individual servings!) of nutritious local food, an increase of 78% over last year. Donations included spinach, lettuce, kale, nutrient-dense Asian greens mizuna and tatsoi, as well as milled corn flour made from heirloom flint corn.

These Gaining Ground ingredients made their way into school lunches at the Bridge Boston Charter School in Roxbury, a Thursday community supper at the Harvard Square Churches Meal Program in Cambridge, fresh grocery deliveries by La Colaborativa in Chelsea, and a weekly distribution by the Bedford Food Bank.

It was great spending time in Chelsea with Carlos Morales, Director of Food Access, and his team at La Colaborativa. The...
03/01/2026

It was great spending time in Chelsea with Carlos Morales, Director of Food Access, and his team at La Colaborativa.

These visits are so helpful in our work to help meet the needs of our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Lending a hand with the day's distributions at any of our partners not only provides useful insight, but also helps continue to build relationships as we work to tackle these challenges together.

La Colaborativa's headquarters is a welcoming hub for the community where they carry out their mission to empower Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and its people, and to hold institutional decision-makers accountable to the community. This work is coordinated by through three pillars of support: Survival, Stability, and Empowerment.

Did you know that there is a Little Cookbook Library located outside of Open Table at 33 Main Street in downtown Maynard...
02/25/2026

Did you know that there is a Little Cookbook Library located outside of Open Table at 33 Main Street in downtown Maynard?

They invite community members to Take One Leave One. 💚

Address

341 Virginia Road
Concord, MA
01742

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3:30pm
Thursday 9am - 3:30pm
Friday 9am - 3:30pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm

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