Nourish Nantucket Receives $1 Million Grant From USDA

Nourish Nantucket has received a $1 million grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to fund renovations at its new food security hub on Boynton Lane.

“We are deeply grateful to our partners and to our community for supporting this vision,” Nourish wrote in a post on its website. “With this funding, we can move closer to a centralized, sustainable, and welcoming hub where all Nantucket residents have access to nutritious food.”

The funding is part of the $92.8 million in Congressionally Directed Spending obtained for 93 projects in Massachusetts by the state’s federal Congressional delegation. It’s one of two projects on Nantucket that received funding, the other being a police department effort to purchase a police and port safety vessel.

“This grant is a huge vote of confidence from our Federal delegation, Senators Markey and Warren, and their staff, who supported our application for Congressionally Directed Spending,” the post continues. “It reflects the importance of collaborative, local efforts to address the growing challenge of food insecurity on our island.”

It’s at least the second time in the last six months that Nourish has received $1 million from a single source. Last September, Nourish received a $1 million donation from an anonymous donor, which is being used to fund immediate food access for Nantucket residents. The grant from the USDA will be used for different purposes, spent on structural renovations rather than direct food access programs.

The food security hub on Boynton Lane includes Nourish offices on the second floor, a permanent home for the Nantucket food pantry on the first floor, and a Land Bank agricultural processing facility in the basement. Purchased jointly by Nourish and the Land Bank for $6.5 million, the building ensures the food pantry will be able to remain housed on Nantucket after a scare last summer.

It is also the home of the Land Bank’s agricultural processing facility, currently used to process deer donated by local hunters for food-insecure island residents through the state’s Hunters Share the Harvest program. The facility has already helped Nantucket set a new single-season record for deer harvested.

“The new space will bring together food security programs under one roof, with room for prepared meals, deer processing, food rescue, and more, making it easier for organizations to work together and serve our community efficiently,” Nourish wrote. “Its central location near schools and public transit will make it even more accessible to neighbors in need.”

Nourish is also working with Sustainable Nantucket to run a Community and Agriculture Resilience Audit Tool (CARAT) assessment for Nantucket. CARAT helps communities understand how their local food systems function.

Facilitated across the region by the Marion Institute, the CARAT assessment will create a framework to measure and track food security on island. Any member of the pubic can participate in the CARAT assessment by reaching out to Nourish communications manager Ashley Langer, and a small stipend is available for people who have experienced food insecurity.