Newton Community Farm and local agricultural and food equity experts held a forum recently discussing how local sourcing can help alleviate food insecurity while overcoming the challenges posed by industrial agriculture and climate change.

Titled “Food for All: The Challenges and Opportunities for Feeding Our Community,” the UMass Amherst Mount Ida campus event featured a panel discussion moderated by Kristina Pechulis, executive director of the Massachusetts Food For All Collaborative.

Speakers included Usha Thakrar, executive director of the Boston Area Gleaners; Glynn Lloyd, director of Nectar Community Investments; Jeff Lemberg, director of the Newton Food Pantry; and Greg Maslowe, Newton Community Farm’s longtime manager.

Lemberg spoke about the improvements the Newton Food Pantry has made during his years with the organization.

“I was really shocked because when I got there, it was the only produce in the food pantry, and everything else was shelf-stable products because they had no refrigeration at City Hall,” he said.

The Pantry has long since installed refrigeration and currently offers a variety of locally sourced produce, often acquired in collaboration with local farming organizations.

Currently, 2,500 residents rely on Newton Food Pantry each week, Lemberg said.

“Sixty percent of our clients speak a language other than English at home, and about a third of our clients are seniors,” he said. “Around 25 percent are kids.”

Despite being limited to a 1,300-square-foot space within City Hall, Lemberg continues to emphasize the importance of comfort and respect for community members in need.

“We are a choice-shopping property, it operates like a small grocery store, but it’s free. We believe there’s dignity in choice,” Lemberg said.

Newton Community Farm. Photo by Ryan Nacy

Newton Community Farm has a long-standing collaboration with local food banks, delivering unsold produce every week to the Newton Food Pantry for the past 19 years.

Maslowe spoke with pride about their ongoing educational programs, giving local high school students hands-on training with farming techniques while exploring the “greater food industrial complex in which we all exist.”

There’s historical significance to their mission, too. Newton Community Farm remains the last operating farm in an area once wholly dominated by small-scale agriculture.

Lloyd, throughout the forum, highlighted the underappreciated role of small-scale farmers.

“Most of the farmers that I’ve known in my life are some of the lowest-waged workers around,” Lloyd said. “They are the working poor, yet almost every farm I know donates produce to food pantries.”

Lloyd reminded agricultural workers of the essential role they fill within society.

“You are primary producers, and what you make is required,” he said.

The construction of the Newton Armory is set to bring 43 low-income families to Newton, creating even more urgency within the community to ensure access to locally grown food.

Luckily, the Newton Food Pantry is planning to break ground on its new 5,000 square foot facility within the next month, with opening currently set for spring 2026.

The importance of community involvement remains paramount as climate change and economic uncertainty pose a challenge for both consumers and farmers alike, and Lloyd emphasized community autonomy as a key benefit to local farms.

“It’s not just about making money. It’s about food sovereignty.”