Mass General Brigham expands access to healthy, locally grown foods in Boston area

Mass General Brigham is investing $9 million through its Community Health Impact Funds to address rising food insecurity in Boston and the surrounding cities of Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop. The funding aims to strengthen regional food systems; expand access to healthy, locally grown foods; and support long-term infrastructure and policy changes.

This initiative responds to findings from the health system’s 2022-2023 community health needs assessment, which identified food insecurity as a major health barrier. A recent report by Mass General Brigham and the Greater Boston Food Bank found that more than 2 million adults in Massachusetts experienced food insecurity in 2024, with Suffolk County — where Boston and the other cities are located — among the most affected.

The investment includes $2 million in new grants to local food access organizations; $1 million in prior funding to the Greater Boston Food Bank; $3 million to expand cold storage infrastructure through the YMCA of Greater Boston; and $3 million to the North Suffolk Food Security Collaborative and La Colaborativa. Together, these efforts focus on improving how food is sourced, stored, distributed and sustained across the region.

Six other organizations received funding to increase access to Massachusetts-grown produce through approaches such as mobile markets, food pantries, urban farms and school nutrition programs.

The Community Health Impact Funds are part of a broader $62 million commitment by Mass General Brigham to address social factors that influence health, including food security, affordable housing, behavioral health and economic stability.

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