Holyoke Riverside Farm

Organic CSA located in Holyoke

Farmer Karen's statement:
I grew up in a low-income household where fresh (never mind organic or heirloom) vegetables were rarely served. At fourteen I became a vegetarian with very little knowledge of nutrition, dietary needs or for that matter, fruits and vegetables. It was not until I was in my twenties that I tasted fresh blueberries for the first time. My path to becoming a small scale, urban, organic farmer was not linear in any sense.
After working in many helping professions, I went back to school to get an undergraduate degree. Providing direct services to those in need was incredibly meaningful and humbling and yet I was interested in addressing the root causes of oppression and poverty. At Mount Holyoke College, where I attended as a non-traditional student, I studied many of these root causes and at the same time was confronted by the stark disparities between inner-city living in Holyoke and life on campus. During my final semester I was deeply disheartened to discover that a week of events the college was hosting about global hunger involved no fundraising or contribution of any kind to local food pantries or other organizations that addressed hunger and food insecurity. I rallied who and what I could to change that and raised funds for Kate’s Kitchen in Holyoke and the Survival Center in Springfield.
Upon graduation friends joked that I would probably end up being an organic farmer, but I certainly did not see this path as inherent. I thought about working with women in the local prison where I was a teaching assistant, or homeless families, or teaching or going to graduate school to become a social worker. When I was laid off from a job last year working with at-risk youth I decided that I needed to get my hands in the soil. I needed to help things grow. While in college I completed my off campus work study with Nuestras Raices, so I knew just where to go to begin this journey and Holyoke Riverside Farm was born. My first year of farming posed many challenges but was ultimately an extraordinarily enriching experience. I was able to work toward my mission by helping friends, family and the local community have access to affordable, locally grown, organic and heirloom produce. I was also able to put years of experience gardening and a natural ability with plants to use.
This year I aim to be more strategic about my farming and my ultimate mission by providing both conventional CSA farmshares and low-income shares payable with SNAP (food stamp) benefits. I am growing on more land and added an even wider array of vegetables, herbs and flowers this season. I am extremely appreciative for the opportunity to continue farming-especially in a low-income urban community such as Holyoke. Growing food is a wonderful process to behold: I am constantly in awe and grateful.