In Concord, Massachusetts, a remarkable nonprofit called Gaining Ground is proving that small farms can make a big impact. With just three and a half acres under cultivation, this volunteer-powered organic farm grows nearly 130,000 pounds of produce each year—the equivalent of half a million servings of fresh, healthy food. All of it is donated to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity across Eastern Massachusetts.
You can listen to the Agri-Tourist podcast episode with Jennifer Johnson, Executive Director of Gaining Ground, here.
Setting Foot on the Soil
When Jennifer Johnson first set foot on the soil of Gaining Ground, she couldn’t have known that the farm’s mission would one day become her life’s work. Today, as Executive Director of the no-till organic farm in Concord, Massachusetts, she leads an organization that has spent 35 years growing and giving away every single fruit and vegetable harvested—100% donated to people experiencing food insecurity.
“Everything we grow we donate,” Johnson says. “We’ve never sold a single fruit or vegetable.”
Rooted in Connection
Johnson’s passion for the connection between people, food, and the earth is deeply personal. Before moving to Massachusetts, she worked at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Mystic, Connecticut, where early discussions about creating a “giving garden” mirrored the very mission she now leads at Gaining Ground.
“I’ve always believed that sustainably grown, nutritious food is a human right,” she says. “It shouldn’t be a privilege reserved for those with disposable income or access to premium grocery stores.”
But Gaining Ground isn’t only about growing vegetables—it’s about growing community. Each season, hundreds of volunteers come to the farm to dig, plant, and harvest alongside skilled staff. The act of working the soil together, Johnson says, creates something healing and hopeful.
“So many of us live screen-based lives. There’s something powerful about getting outside, putting your hands in the dirt, and co-creating with nature.”
Rooted in Community and History
The land that Gaining Ground farms is steeped in history. The main property sits on Virginia Road, right behind the home where Henry David Thoreau was born. Long before the colonial era, the area was known as Mescataquid, meaning “where the grass meets the waters,” and was home to the Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Massachusett peoples, who cherished its fertile soil and abundant natural resources.
Today, Gaining Ground honors that legacy by caring deeply for the land. The farm uses no-till agricultural practices, a climate-friendly approach that preserves the soil’s structure and biodiversity. “We’ve really embraced this land with love,” says Johnson. “We’ve dedicated ourselves to improving the health of the soil—and in turn, it rewards us with healthy crops.”
From a Front Yard Garden to a Thriving Farm
Gaining Ground’s roots trace back to 1990, when Concord resident Jennifer “Jamie” Bemis started what she called a “soup kitchen garden” in her front yard. With help from local schoolchildren, she planted apple trees and vegetables, donating the harvest to nearby food pantries. Her idea blossomed into a full-fledged nonprofit committed to growing and giving fresh, organic produce to those in need.
This year marks Gaining Ground’s 35th anniversary, a milestone that celebrates both its humble beginnings and its steady growth into a cornerstone of community resilience.
A Place Where Food Nourishes Body and Soul
On its 17-acre property, Gaining Ground cultivates 40–50 varieties of crops each year, from carrots and kale to more culturally specific foods like bitter melon, Brazilian eggplant (gilo), yuca, ginger, and turmeric.
Because the farm grows exclusively for people facing food insecurity, it listens closely to its partner organizations to determine what to plant. “Food is about nourishing both body and soul,” Johnson explains. “We want to make sure we’re providing people with foods they love and that connect them to their cultures.”
While many farms focus on what sells, Gaining Ground focuses on what’s needed. Potatoes, for example, are inexpensive and widely available through food banks—so the farm grows fewer of them. But leafy greens, herbs, and culturally important crops are harder to come by and more costly to buy, so those take priority.
Year-Round Growing in New England
Despite New England’s long winters, Gaining Ground keeps producing nearly year-round thanks to a combination of caterpillar tunnels, hoop houses, and a newly built heated greenhouse funded through a Massachusetts state grant. These structures allow crops like spinach, lettuce, and kale to grow even when the snow flies.
“It’s amazing how warm it gets inside those hoop houses without any heat,” Johnson laughs. “When I help harvest in winter, I always have to dress in layers because it feels like summer inside.
Powered by Volunteers
Every season, roughly 3,800 volunteers join the farm to plant, weed, harvest, or help with deliveries. “We have tasks for ages five and up,” Johnson says proudly. “It really is a place for everyone.”
That spirit of inclusion reflects the organization’s founding vision—a farm where community members work side by side to ensure everyone has access to healthy, local food.
The New Face of Food Insecurity
According to data shared by the Greater Boston Food Bank, one-third of Massachusetts residents experienced food insecurity at some point over the past year. That’s up from 17.9% in early 2024—a striking increase driven by lingering economic instability and the high cost of food.
“We have a food system where calories are cheap, but nutrition is expensive,” Johnson explains. “There’s this fallacy that eating healthy is just about personal choice—but for people on tight budgets, their hands are really forced.”
Many families face impossible decisions: paying rent or buying groceries. A bag of fresh grapes can cost $10, while processed, sugary alternatives cost a fraction of that. “People aren’t choosing unhealthy food because they want to,” she says. “They’re doing what they can to survive in a system that makes nutritious food unaffordable.”
What “Food Insecurity” Really Means
The term food insecurity is often used broadly, but its true meaning is layered. Johnson defines it as the uncertainty of having enough food—or the right kind of food—to sustain a healthy life.
“For some, it means not knowing if they can eat three meals a day. For others, it’s that the food available to them isn’t nutritious or accessible—whether because of cost, geography, or lack of nearby grocery stores.”
She notes that food insecurity looks different in rural and urban communities alike. In some small towns, the nearest supermarket may be 45 minutes away. In underinvested city neighborhoods, families are surrounded by convenience stores rather than fresh produce markets. In both cases, access—not desire—is the barrier.
Facing Challenges, Cultivating Hope
Like many food access programs, Gaining Ground has seen ripple effects from funding cuts to initiatives like Massachusetts’ Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), which once doubled the value of SNAP benefits when people bought from local farmers. While Gaining Ground doesn’t sell its produce, the loss of HIP funding has hurt both farmers and low-income families.
Still, the organization remains hopeful and steadfast. “We’re kindred spirits with those working to restore funding for programs that make healthy food more accessible,” Johnson says.
A Harvest of Connection
Walking the fields of Gaining Ground, it’s easy to see why so many call it one of the most beautiful farms in New England. The soil is dark and rich, the rows are bursting with color, and there’s a feeling of peace in the air. It’s not just food that grows here—it’s community, dignity, and shared purpose.
As Johnson puts it, “When you improve the soil, you improve everything that grows from it. That includes food, but also people, relationships, and hope.”
Click here to listen to the Agri-Tourist Podcast episode with Jennifer Johnson from Gaining Ground.
