Progress 06/01/24 to 05/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:During this reporting period, the project's primary audience was the Lower Merrimack Valley Food Coalition (LMVFC), a network of nonprofit food access organizations serving 17 communities across northeastern Massachusetts. These agencies have been selected specifically because they are the largest providers of food assistance in their respective areas. By strengthening these organizations, ONT is ultimately improving access to food for the vast number of individuals and families they serve. ONT coordinates the LMVFC's shared infrastructure and strategy across the region. During the reporting period, the Food Hub allowed the Coalition to distribute 2,758,269 pounds of food to Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Byfield, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, South Hampton, and West Newbury. This year's work prioritized communities facing persistent barriers to food access, including limited transportation, low income, and lack of access to fresh, nutritious food. One high-impact example during the 2024 pilot phase was in Greater Lawrence, where coordinated food rescue efforts helped deliver more than 400,000 pounds of food to agencies serving residents. This systems-level approach builds a more efficient, sustainable regional food access network to ensure that limited resources reach the communities that need them most. Changes/Problems:While ONT is making progress as expected, several expected challenges arose during this reporting period. For example, the rollout of ONT's Stable Table framework and Hunger Vital Signs tool was delayed due to the need for additional planning and testing. Coalition members operate with varying levels of technical and operational capacity, which requires more tailored preparation for each agency. As such, many of the outputs produced during this year's reporting period were designated towards accurate data collection across the coalition. Ongoing increases in food demand across the region led ONT to prioritize the logistical use of the Food Hub even before full operations were underway. This shift in focus temporarily reduced available capacity for launching evaluation tools, as real life use became an immediate priority. Lastly, as the Coalition continues to grow, there is an increased need to balance collaboration with competition for limited food and financial resources. This dynamic highlights the importance of clear communication and resource sharing across the network. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Hub training sessions are scheduled for August 2025. These sessions will include inventory management, on-site scheduling, storage procedures, and coordination practices for all partner agencies. Furthermore, a series of data and storytelling workshops have been provided to support partners in improving data collection and impact communication. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The LMVFC meets quarterly to share progress, address challenges, and develop externa; communication strategies. Project updates have been shared through ONT's Annual Report, Table Talk newsletter, and events such as the Food Hub ribbon cutting. Project outcomes received increased public attention through media coverage in Northshore Magazine, Edible Boston, and local cable/ statewide news broadcasts. Furthermore, the Coalition is now integrated into ONT's Food Security Advisory Group (FSAG), allowing the coalition to engage directly with municipal leaders, healthcare partners, and other cross-sector stakeholders. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Building on last year's progress, ONT will move forward with several key initiatives to support the project goals. In the coming months, ONT will roll out the Community Surplus Food Recovery Program to support shared food procurement across the region. We will also complete one year of internal Hunger Vital Signs modeling within, with the goal of adapting the tool for use by other Coalition partners. As part of ONT's evaluation work, we will publish the Stable Table framework and begin training partner organizations to apply it in their own communities, starting with a formal assessment in Salisbury. ONT will continue to develop guidance for best practices and finalize a coalition-wide data dictionary to help all partners track and share data more consistently. These efforts will strengthen the Coalition's shared Food Hub infrastructure and support long-term progress toward food security across the region.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The past year has brought important progress for both individual organizations and the Coalition as a whole. Key accomplishments include: Two organizations, Lazarus House and People's Pantry, were onboarded into the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) system. This expanded access to GBFB for organizations outside ONT's immediate service area and freed up appointment slots at the food bank for other regional partners. Another Coalition Member, Sacred Hearts Food Pantry, reduced travel time for food pick-ups from 40 hours to just 6 hours per month. This saved capacity was used to launch a backpack program in partnership with Haverhill Public Schools. People's Pantry in North Andover formalized its structure by incorporating and hiring its first Pantry Coordinator. The organization also joined GBFB, expanding its food supply options. Nourishing the Northshore (NNS) increased operational efficiency by approximately 50 percent by consolidating food distribution through a single centralized site instead of visiting eight separate locations. Coalition members regularly utilized the Hub's shared meeting space for training, strategy sessions, and collaborative planning.

Publications

Progress 06/01/23 to 05/31/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The Hub's target audience includes the residents and service organizations of 17 cities and towns including Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, Newburyport, North Andover, Rowley, and Salisbury. Eight of these communities qualify as Massachusetts Environmental Justice neighborhoods in which: the annual median household income is not more than 65% of the statewide annual median household income; minorities comprise 40% or more of the population; 25% or more of households lack English language proficiency; or minorities comprise 25% or more of the population and the annual median household income of the municipality in which the neighborhood is located does not exceed 150% of the statewide annual median household income. During this period, the project served 12 Opportunity Zone neighborhoods, which are economically distressed communities in need of investment. There are 32,000 food-insecure individuals living within the Hub's service area. Accordingly, ONT convened the Lower Merrimack Valley Food Coalition (LMVFC) to improve efficiencies in food storage, distribution, and strategic planning across the Lower Merrimack Valley. By empowering partner organizations across the Lower Merrimack Valley, ONT leveraged its capacity building efforts to support residents in historically disinvested communities During this time, the LMVFC distributed 290,000 meals monthly, averaging just 9 meals per food-insecure person. As more food becomes available through the food safety net, ONT will significantly increase outputs through the Hub and its partners. 100% of ONT's constituents qualify as low to moderate income individuals in accordance with TEFAP screening criteria, while the racial demographic of Essex County is 85% White, 22% Hispanic, and 7% Black/ African American. Changes/Problems:Prior to June of 2023, all of ONT's planning meetings with partners were conducted via Zoom, which made conceptualization difficult at times. Once partners were given the opportunity to tour in person, the planning process became much more streamlined. Most importantly, the Hub experienced significant delays due to municipal and site-related challenges, which pushed the groundbreaking to August 2023 and major construction completion to May 2024. Despite these setbacks, relevant committees continued the planning process and prepared for the opening of the Hub. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In preparation for the opening of the Hub, ONT has offered heavy machinery training and licensing for key staff members. To prepare for increased program operations at the Hub, ONT recruited and onboarded 235 community volunteers during the reporting period. Stable Table training across LMVFC communities has not yet begun due to project delays. Hub training will be taking place in August 2024. These trainings will include Hub storage/ inventory, on site scheduling, and more. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?ONT's Director of Communications regularly releases "Hub Update" Newsletters and media releases across our constituency to share progress on construction, fundraising goals, how to get involved with the project, and more. Furthermore, the Lower Merrimack Valley Food Coalition meets regularly to share collective progress and develop communication strategies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next reporting period, Our Neighbors' Table will fully operate the Seacoast Regional Food Hub. Opening the Seacoast Regional Food Hub will allow ONT to make significant progress towards our project goals after facing municipal delays in 2023.? ONT is working to finalize the measurable indicators and metrics for the Stable Table Model. These metrics will help us monitor and evaluate our collective progress. Training on this tool will be rolled out in the second year of the grant period. In September, the Hub will implement on-site partner storage. This will enhance capacity for local food providers who may lack access to ample storage space. In October and November, the Hub will expand community surplus food procurement. This expansion will increase efforts to source surplus food from local retailers and farms. These key steps will strengthen the Hub's support of the LMVFC and improve the availability of fresh, locally sourced food during the second year of the project. ONT will publish and distribute an SFP partner report after conducting site assessments in 2023.This report will provide insights into each site's operations and help identify areas for improvement.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? ONT's GBFB cross-dock is now operational, and in the first three months, we have distributed 364,682 pounds of food from GBFB to nine regional partners across 17 communities. We are on pace to exceed our projection of distributing 2.2 million pounds of food in the third year of Hub operations. ONT completed the aforementioned 3-year strategic plan (2023-2025) stating clear, measurable goals, success metrics and activities. This strategic plan is the framework as we enter a critical 5 year phase to complete our goal of establishing universal food access across our region. ONT will continue to convene the Lower Merrimack Valley Food Coalition, which met in June, October, and February of the reporting period. During these three meetings, ONT facilitated discussions among LMV partners and reached out to individual sites for further engagement. Greater Boston Food Bank Cross Dock: Our Neighbors' Table began utilizing the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) to accept/ distribute two deliveries per week to partner organizations. The cross dock has made food readily available to 9 organizations across 17 communities in Massachusetts, and distributed 364,682 pounds of food since May 2024.

Publications