Congratulations to our fantastic Food Equity Director Merrick Carreiro, who has been awarded a three year Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship to further Food is Medicine programming on Martha’s Vineyard. Her Fellowship is in partnership with Haley Dolan of Island Health Care on the Island Nourish Network—a new initiative supported by the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship. This project will focus on expanding food and nutrition support across the Island by connecting fresh, locally grown food with healthcare services.

Merrick brings years of experience in food access and education to this important collaboration. The Island Nourish Network will strengthen Food is Medicine efforts across the Vineyard—through medically tailored meals, nutrition prescriptions, and pantry partnerships—ensuring that food is a source of both nourishment and healing.

We’re proud to see Merrick’s work at the intersection of food and health elevated through this exciting, community-driven initiative.

Read more in the Vineyard Gazette HERE.

Contact Emily at emily@igimv.org for any questions.

Support Island Grown Schools at our upcoming Plant Sales at participating schools! Shop a great selection of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, flowers, and basil, all grown by students. All proceeds go directly toward supporting the garden program.

Location: Edgartown School Garden

Dates: Wednesday & Thursday May 21 & 22 from 1 to 3pm

Location: Oak Bluffs School front entrance

Dates: Tuesday, Thursday & Friday May 27, 28 & 29 from 12 to 1pm

Location: Tisbury School front entrance

Dates: Tuesday May 27th from 2:45 to 3:45pm, Wednesday May 28th from 12 to 1pm & Thursday May 29th from 10 to 11am

Fire Cat Farm still has CSA shares available! Fire Cat Farm operates a no-till, pollinator friendly, pesticide free flower farm from a field here at the Island Grown Farm. Members can enjoy 15 weeks of beautiful and unique bouquets! Please note: the IGI produce CSA is full. For more information, visit www.firecatfarmmv.com.

Sign up HERE!

An iconic part of Island history, the F/V “Little Lady”—the oldest surviving wooden dragger in New England—has been hauled out of the water and is preparing for a transformative restoration by master wooden boatbuilders at Gannon and Benjamin in Vineyard Haven. For nearly a century, she fished out of Menemsha, carrying generations of islanders and tradition with her.

Now, her future holds a new purpose. Once restored, Little Lady will become a hands-on educational vessel for Martha’s Vineyard students. Even more powerfully, any fish caught during these educational outings will be donated to Island schools and IGI’s Food Pantry, continuing her legacy of nourishing the community in a new way.

Island Grown Initiative is proud to be part of this next chapter—honoring Island heritage while deepening our mission of food education and equitable access.

Learn more about this historic vessel and her journey in this MV Times article.

1. The MA Senate’s proposed FY26 budget leaves out funding for two vital programs:

• MA FRESH Farm to School Grants
• Local Food for Schools Incentives

These programs connect kids to fresh, local food and support small farmers — and we need your help to keep them going.

Take 1 minute to email your state senator and ask them to co-sponsor:

• Amendment #625 (FRESH Grants + Wellness Coaching)
• Amendment #328 (Local Food for Schools)

Take action HERE!

2. Protect SNAP from Massive Federal Cuts

The House Agriculture Committee is proposing over $300 billion in cuts to SNAP, threatening food security for 42 million Americans — including thousands in Massachusetts.

 Urge Congress to reject these cuts and protect this essential program.

• Send your message to Congress
• See how SNAP supports MA 

Good News: HIP Fully Funded!

Thanks to your advocacy last month, the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) received full $25M funding in the Senate budget. This is a big win for food access and local farmers. Thank you!

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