This page is dedicated to our affiliated Non-profit, Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc.

Mission of Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc.
Sustainable Food and Culture builds community wellness and cross-cultural understanding by valuing and respecting diversity in our food systems and indigenous cultures. The organization strives to improve the lives of economically or socially disadvantaged and underserved individuals throughout the Greater Boston area and New England region.

Let’s Grow Something Beautiful Together

🌻 #letsgrowsomethingtogether 🌻

As we mourn George Floyd, let us plant a sunflower and sow seeds of love, and healing for our country.  We continue to mourn the lives of George Floyd and many other Black lives tragically cut short. I hope you can join me in spreading the beauty of the sunflower plant throughout our city.

The Let’s Grow Something Together is a project of Sustainable Food and Culture, Inc., and encourages neighbors in Cambridge/Somerville to grow sunflowers throughout our neighborhoods and document our journeys. Sign up here for free seeds.
Anyone can participate in this project, children, teens, adults, grandparents, and neighbors with disabilities. Please complete this brief form to let me know how you would like to be involved and please share this form with your neighbors and friends. If you are in Boston, please connect with the Roxbury Sunflower Project here: https://bit.ly/RoxurySun

We will offer free seed packets stored in recycled paper packets or seedlings.The seedlings can be shared with people who have limited abilities to grow seedlings in their apartments/homes. Our goal is by late summer/early fall, our neighborhoods will be blooming with amazing towering sunflower trees, which will bring so much beauty and joy to our neighbors. We encourage people to chronicle their growing stories and share selfies or family photos of themselves with their sunflowers and using the hashtag #letsgrowsomethingtogether. With the Let’s Grow Something Together project, we anticipate there could be several thousand sunflower trees in our neighborhoods. So, please share this news with our neighbors.

 

Here are the ways you can join me in this project:

  1. Plant your own sunflower seeds – Plant seeds as seedling starters in-doors or on your porch, then transplant them in your garden. Don’t have a garden, find a public spot and plant them there. Just make sure you water the plants.
  2. Ask for a packet –  Stop by designated locations to grab a seed packet, or we can have it dropped off. Make sure you plan the seeds and follow instructions for PYOSS.
  3. Become a seedling starter  – Have some garden skills? Realizing that not everyone has the opportunity to start their own seedlings, why not sign up to be a seedling starter? You role would be to offer tender loving care to grow the seedlings until they are ready to be delivered.
  4. Deliver the Stuff  – Have a bike, car, wheelbarrow, or love to walk? Your role will be to pick up seedlings and seeds and drop them off to your neighbors.
  5. Prep the Packs – Do you want to help assemble the packets at home? We will give you a bin with the tools and share instructions on how to safely assemble the packages.

How do I sign up?

Right now, you can sign up for the category that fits your needs at the application below.

Apply Here

Community Partners

Interested in joining this movement as a community partner? All we ask is that you spread about the word about this project with your networks and we will recognize your organization.

Want to donate to the cause?

We are accepting in-kind donations for seeds, labels, bio bags, and other supplies. Email us at sustainablefoodandculture@gmail.com if you can assist and check out our Facebook page.

The sun will shine bright in 2022, let’s grow something beautiful together!

Seeds & Glory!

Join the Sustainable Food and Culture team and our volunteers by sharing herb seeds and seedlings donated by our community of growers. Given that many in our community have been shut-in during the COVID pandemic, this is an opportunity to bring some happiness to our most vulnerable neighbors. Like most of us, many have not been able to spend much time outside of their small pods, and or connect with their family members, including their grandchildren.

Building upon the success of our summer sunflower project for the Let’s Grow Something Together initiative, Seeds and Glory will focus on our most vulnerable neighbors. The project offers herb seeds and small potted seedlings for seniors and those with limited access gardens or who don’t have a garden of their own. Herbs are known to reduce stress and fatigue; boost mood and immune systems; and increase productivity, concentration and creativity. Just having them at home can help to improve mental health, happiness and wellbeing.

We’ll focus on easy to grow herbs that can be placed on windowsills and community spaces at our Senior Centers and Assisted Living places and apartments. We’ll also pay attention to medicinal and culturally connected herbs ranging from peppermint to cilantro

Sign up here.

Harriett Jacobs Legacy Project – Garden Beautification

We recently moved our office to a new location, which is an historic building which once was a boarding house run by Harriett Jacobs and her daughter Louisa Matilda. Harriett Jacobs, who self published her book, “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” was born a slave. She was an abolitionist, activist, a feminist, and an author who was part of the women’s suffrage movement.
Our goal is to refresh the outdoor space and create a native plant garden including potted plants at this historic building. We are working with two Mayor Summer Interns and guests to beautify this space that needs much love and care. We’ll scrape, sand, prime, and paint the old railings and plant native plants all around the garden space and under the Harriet Jacobs historical market. We are also seeking donations for plants and spoil for our plantings.
Here is our plant wish list:
  • Great Blue Lobelia
  • Lobelia siphilitica
  • Spotted cranesbill
  • White turtlehead
  • Purple Coneflower
  • Black Eyed Susan
  • Butterfly Weed
  • Lanceleaf Coreopsis
  • New England Aster
  • Swamp Milkweed
  • Blue False Indigo
  • Common Sunflower

See our progress in beautifying the Harriett Jacobs House. Nicola, and interns Liam, Leanna and Ian hand scraped the railings at 17 Story Street. We’ll scrape, sand, prime and repaint the old railings and plant native plants in the garden.

Boston JerkFest Educational Programs

Thanks to our sponsors and vendors for Boston JerkFest  Rum & Brew Tasting Fundraiser, such as Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Mount Gay Rum, we were able to raise funds to support the mission of Sustainable Food and Culture.

The Boston JerkFest Seafood Throwdown was may possible by a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries for our Dive In – Keep It Local campaign promoting underutilized local seafood. Collaborating partners include KAS Consulting, North America Marine Alliance (NAMA), Red’s Best and World Farmers, Inc.

Check out our recap of the festival here

Check out the beautifully grown sunflowers from our volunteers