The Sharing the Harvest Community Farm of the Dartmouth YMCA helped local families have delicious Thanksgiving meals by donating more than 1,000 pounds of butternut squash. The squash, along with other food, was prepared by volunteers at the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School as part of the “Thanksgiving Ministry.” The ministry is a collaboration between local volunteers and churches which provided 3,200 meals for local families and those at the Veterans Transition House.

“We are hearing so much about food security issues during the holiday season, so we are happy to continue to support the Thanksgiving Ministry project,” said new Farm Director Ashley Brister, who has more than 14 years of farming experience, including 7 years on the South Coast.

Sharing the Harvest Community Farm is a program of the nonprofit YMCA Southcoast that operates on five acres of land at the Dartmouth YMCA, providing fruits, vegetables, and pasture-raised chicken eggs to local families in need. Sharing the Harvest donates 100% of all farm produce. The produce is distributed to 20 locations across the South Coast through a partnership with the United Way Hunger Commission. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the farm’s new Volunteer and Outreach coordinator, Shonna Ryan, by emailing SharingtheHarvest@ymcasc.org.