Island Grown Initiative is closely monitoring recent federal cuts to food banks, school meals, community farms, farm to school programs, and climate-smart agriculture—issues central to our work on the Island. Read more about these cuts and how to take action to support a strong food system for all in an Op-Ed by our Co-Executive Director, Noli Taylor, in the Vineyard Gazette, here, and see below for ways to take action today.

We receive approximately 10,000 pounds of food each month to distribute free to our community from our partner organization the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), who have already lost over $2 million of funding due to recent federal cuts. These cuts will impact our ability to feed our neighbors on the Island. We need your support to fill the gap and ensure that all people on the Vineyard have access to the food they need.

2024 was an incredible and meaningful year for us at IGI. None of it would’ve been possible without you. Watch the video HERE.

Sign up today – only 8 CSA shares left!

Don’t miss your chance to enjoy fresh, regeneratively grown produce from our farm every week, June through October. By securing your share, you're not only getting an abundance of seasonal harvests, you're also supporting vital community programs like food education for kids in every Island school, food access for over 1 in 5 year-round Islanders, and cutting-edge regenerative farming practices.

Sign up HERE before they’re gone!

Fire Cat Farm is back this summer with a flower CSA option! Fire Cat Farm operates a no-till, pollinator friendly, pesticide free flower farm from a field here at IGI. Members can enjoy 15 weeks of beautiful and unique bouquets alongside their veggies! Please note, flower CSA sign-ups are separate from the IGI produce CSA. For more information, visit www.firecatfarmmv.com.

Sign up HERE! 

Join us on May 3rd from 12:00-1:00 PM for a tour of the IGI supported Food Forest at the MV Public Charter School with Roxanne Kapitan of Garden Wisdom. Discover the wonders of perennial foods that you can easily grow in your own backyard. This free, open-to-all event offers a unique opportunity to explore the school's thriving Food Forest and learn about sustainable gardening practices. This class is made possible through a generous grant from the Cedar Tree Foundation.

This is the first of a series of three tours. The other dates are:

• May 31st, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
• September 27th, 10:00 - 11:00 AM

Rain dates are scheduled for the Sunday following each event.

For more details or to sign up, visit the registration link HERE or contact Emily at emily@igimv.org.

We are hiring! IGI is seeking passionate, community-oriented individuals to join us in building a stronger food system.

Food System Internship

We are accepting applications for our Summer Teen Internship Program, where participants will gain hands-on experience in the Island food system—from seed to fork. Interns will work alongside IGI’s farming and food equity programs to grow food and feed the community. This is a great opportunity to explore a future food-related career while giving back to the Island. The program requires 90 hours of attendance over July and August.

To learn more about our open positions and apply, click HERE.

For the past eight years, IGI has provided free lunches for children and families when school is out of session, to ensure students don’t lose access to the nutrition they rely on from school meals. The program continues during this upcoming April school vacation week, the week of April 24th. More to come on summer break sign ups soon.

One of the parents whose children received lunches during February vacation week shared this note with us: "Thank you for the delicious meals you have provided for my kids this week. It's tough to juggle work and childcare during school vacation, and you’ve made it easier for this working mama. Kale soup is a household favorite that fits my son's special diet. It was so convenient to pack a frozen soup in each of my kids' lunch boxes to send with them to grandma's for the day."

Thank you to all who make this program possible, including our incredible kitchen volunteers, kitchen staff, and the donors who fund school vacation lunches. 

Help protect the programs that feed our kids and families. This April, there are two urgent ways you can make a difference:

• Tell Congress: No Cuts to School Meals
• Congress is considering budget cuts that would limit access to free school meals and reduce SNAP benefits, which could push millions of children and their families into food insecurity. Contact your representatives today and urge them to protect school meals and SNAP. Take action through the Food Research and Action Center’s action alert HERE. 
• Save HIP: The Healthy Incentives Program
• HIP helps low-income families buy fresh, local food from farmers markets and CSAs — and it’s on the chopping block. Tell Massachusetts lawmakers to fully fund HIP in this year’s state budget. Support HIP through the SouthCoast Food Policy Council action alert HERE.

The seeds we plant today will be harvested by Islanders for generations to come.