Worcester Public Market Receives $500K Grant to Expand Operations

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Worcester Public Market receives $500,000 grant

Worcester Public Market received a $500,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to expand operations.

The award will be used to purchase specialized equipment for the kitchen’s manufacturing operation that focuses primarily on processing Massachusetts grown and harvested food products.

The end product will be shelf stable and other value-added products, helping emerging food businesses scale up.

“Worcester Public Kitchen is at the intersections of food access and security, the local food movement, and supporting emerging businesses. I’m very pleased that this grant will increase their production scale and overall impact in our community,” said State Representative Mary Keefe.

Food Venture Grants

The Worcester Public Kitchen’s grant comes as part of a series of grants issued by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to community-based food ventures.

Overall, $811,176 in grants were issued to Franklin’s Kitchen Garden, Suffolk County’s Commonwealth Kitchen and the Worcester Public Kitchen.

“Community-based food ventures and enterprises play a critical role in connecting Massachusetts farmers and their healthy, locally grown food products to Commonwealth residents. By supporting these enterprises, the Massachusetts Food Ventures Program plays an important role in our administration’s efforts to reduce food insecurity and improve economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income communities across the Commonwealth,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

Funded projects include new construction that will create temporary and full-time employment, as well as create facilities that will foster job creation and expansion of food access and distribution in low- to moderate-income areas.

“The Massachusetts Food Ventures program has been an important component to supporting Massachusetts agriculture while providing sustainable local food options,”“Funding for these organizations provides the much-needed resources needed for infrastructure and our investments are helping enterprises to provide equitable access to healthy local food,” said MDAR Commissioner John Lebeaux.