Local food assistance program faces cuts

A local program that helps provide fresh vegetables to older adults will be serving fewer Weston residents than usual this year.

The Council on Aging vegetable voucher program, hosted with Land’s Sake Farm, provides a weekly stipend for local seniors to purchase produce at the Weston farm. This year the number of participants must be reduced, according to Council on Aging Executive Director Stephanie Keane, because the program is not receiving grant funding from Springwell, a non-profit serving aging community members.

“They’re able to get fresh vegetables they otherwise aren’t able to afford. It’s a chance [for] socializing as well,” she said. “This is something that, without funding, we’ll probably be telling people they’ll be on a waitlist.”

The vouchers provide $20 for fresh produce at Land’s Sake Farm for 20 weeks. Last year, according to Land’s Sake Farm’s community engagement associate Emily Lewis, a bunch of kale cost $4 and a pound of carrots cost $3.

Between the Council on Aging and Land’s Sake Farm, there is enough money for 50 vouchers this year. According to Keane, this is about 15 fewer than last year, when they provided about 65 vouchers. Lewis said this comes at a time of increasing food insecurity across the state.

According to the Massachusetts Food Access Report from the Greater Boston Food Bank and Mass General Brigham, more than a million households faced food insecurity across the state in 2025. It is on the rise in Middlesex County, where 35% of households are experiencing food insecurity, an 11% increase from 2024. More than 140 Weston residents are receiving help from the state’s Department of Transitional Assistance as of February.

“The challenge is only increasing. We’d love to be able to support more seniors who would find support from the vouchers,” Lewis said. “It’s not only access to fresh food, which can have a great impact to someone’s physical health, but it’s a chance to socialize.”

Employees at Land’s Sake say they develop friendships with participants in the program and offer them a chance to socialize every week. Farm stand manager Annie Scozzafava said she enjoys getting to know shoppers throughout the season and seeing them interacting with others.

“We have such a great mix of people. Some come on the COA shuttle together and do their shopping…some will come in with their families, and it’s really sweet to see them,” Scozzafava said. “We get to see firsthand how our hunger relief programs affect people.”

Keane said that the waitlist for the program will open May 1.

“We’re prioritizing people who qualify for SNAP benefits,” she said. “We’ll still take names of people who make money over what qualifies, but we are prioritizing the low-income residents.”

Lewis said Land’s Sake will take donations for the program through the organization’s website and that donors should include a note specifying money should go towards the program.