Story and Supporters

We wouldn’t be here without the generous support of our community. The time and labor of countless volunteers, the financial support and trust from philanthropic foundations, partnerships with city, state, and federal agencies, and so many more. Here are just a few to say THANK YOU

  • Community residents of East Boston
  • The City of Boston – Youth Workforce Development Office
  • The City of Boston – Office of Food Justice
  • East Boston Foundation
  • The Cummings Foundation
  • Liberty Mutual Foundation

The Seeds of Eastie Farm

The seeds for Eastie Farm were planted in Spring 2015, when several East Boston neighbors, noticing the empty and overgrown plot at 294 Sumner Street, proposed the idea of starting a community farm. The idea took off quickly, with a growing group of neighbors coming together to plan, organize, and advocate for the farm, and local businesses jumping on board as well.

Before
Before it became the Eastie Farm we know and love today, 294 Sumner Street was an abandoned, overgrown lot.

With the support of the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association, a permit from the City, and the help of dozens of volunteers, we broke ground in August of the same year, quickly transforming the abandoned lot into a clean, organized space that welcomes neighbors in with bilingual signage and artwork, flowers, and a dozen raised beds producing herbs, greens, and garlic that many members of the community have been able to enjoy.

Over the winter, our organization continued to grow and evolve, gaining 501c3 status as a nonprofit. We are now looking forward to our spring growing season, when we will be expanding our current growing space by adding additional raised beds, constructing a hoop house, and adding experiential learning zones for local youth to experiment with growing greens, vegetables, and flowers. We look forward to having you join us!

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Eastie Farm’s 294 Sumner Street Site Spring 2016.

Fast Forward:

There have been a lot of developments over the years. A quick look:

Mayor Janey’s visit for opening the space, State Rep Madaro giving Josue a citation for his work during Eastie Farm’s COVID food security work

From a tour in Summer 2025:

View of community space from annual growing area
Joel and Livia speaking with visitors learning about Eastie Farm
The pocket park upfront – tour continues