Mission
Massaro Community Farm's mission is to preserve farmland using organic methods, provide food for the hungry, and create a place where the community can come together for learning, inspiration, and fun. Keep Farming, Feed People. Build Community.
Background
Massaro Community Farm Inc. ("MCF") is a Connecticut not-for-profit membership corporation organized on November 3, 2008. It received a tax exempt determination letter from the IRS on December 15, 2009. MCF is governed by 12 board members elected for three-year terms by its members, and by officers elected annually by the board of directors.
MCF was created by a group of local Woodbridge volunteers committed to continue farming at the location of the former Massaro family dairy farm. Under a long term lease with the Town of Woodbridge, MCF began an organic vegetable farming operation on the 57-acre property in 2010. The Farm was given to the Town by the Massaro family in 2007 on the death of John Massaro Jr.. This gift was conditioned on maintaining the property in conservation.
Our farming operation will have ~10 acres under cultivation in the 2017 season. This supports a 200-member CSA, and allows us to sell additional produce at nearby farmer's markets and to select restaurants. The farm pays rent in the form of produce, donating at least 10% of its weekly harvest all season long to hunger relief agencies. We have worked with several agencies since inception, but current recipients are Salvation Army (Ansonia), Woodbridge Human Services Dept and the CT Food Bank.
MCF offers farm-based education to youth and adults around organic farming and sustainable land management, and have an ongoing partnership with CT Beekeeper's Association and FoodCorps. We also hold several community-wide events each year, including a farm-to-table dinner, which is our largest annual fundraiser.
CEO Statement
The Massaro Community Farm (MCF) continues the historic agricultural traditions begun in 1916 by the Massaro family. After many years in the for-profit life sciences business, I found myself drawn into issues of equitable food access across all socioeconomic groups in our communities. MCF specifically appealed to me because of its openness and commitment to give 10% back to the community.
The fact that this venture got off the ground at all is a miracle, considering its founding board members were raising funds to save this historic farm during a period of financial crisis in this country. But its continued success is, in large part, based on its unique location and structure. The truth is that non-corporate and private farms struggle to bring in enough revenue to support themselves, and are forced to find additional, often unrelated, revenue streams. At MCF, the side by side operation of the growing production, together with the tax-exempt nonprofit, allows us to optimize several revenue streams, balancing income from produce sales, fundraising events, individual contributions and grants all while being a resource for the greater community.
The farm has also had the benefit of invested residents and thoughtful management. Our directors manage conservatively, carefully managing expenses against income. Our farm manager has taken full advantage of CT & USDA funding opportunities to help us build out the farm infrastructure and to improve the land with invasive management and replanting native species.
These factors, together with our geographic location spanning diverse neighborhoods, allow us to make the most of our immediate support base in Woodbridge, and deliver much needed services to our community in need next door - largely in Ansonia. There isn't another farm in our region that is both a working farm and can provide the education that we offer.
These are the aspects that first drew me to MCF. And the daily gift of being on the farm and interacting with all these constituencies is what continues to inspire me. I'm also excited about the newer partnerships we've formed with Valley United Way, The Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA, the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce and others to bring our food and education to the community, working to change long term behaviors when it comes to food and encouraging self-sufficiency.
Board Chair Statement
I became involved with Massaro Farm several years ago, first as a CSA subscriber, then as a volunteer for the event that drew me in - Dinner on the Farm. I was so amazed that this jewel existed in our small town that I couldn't resist finding ways to support it. Little did I know that I'd be honored by serving as board president a few years later.
I was fortunate to get involved when many founding board members were still engaged, lending their support and their wealth of historical knowledge. Now we are starting to see some of those members cycle off, which leaves us with the ongoing challenge of most nonprofits - to recruit and retain new board members who will add value to the overall organization. Additionally, we face other routine issues, like creating certain policies, enlisting best practices, improving administrative operations. But these seem like small hurdles to overcome because the farm, though young, has such a strong base of support in the surrounding community, especially from its CSA subscribers.
Being on the farm and being able to bring my children to pick up our fresh produce each week throughout the season reminds me of values still more common in practice in my homeland of Greece. In today's fast paced world, I want my children to know what it means to grow and pick your own food, taste the difference when food is freshly picked, and know the story of the farm where it was grown.
As a clinician, I not only appreciate the value of good food for my family, but the difference in can make it people's lives who otherwise could not afford organic produce. Protecting this open community space and supporting the contributions to the surrounding community in need are what drive my passion for the work we do at the farm and the greater impact we can have.