The Trustees of Reservations and the Boston Public Market announced an important new partnership that will bring the Trustee’s experience and expertise in community programming to the planned public market slated to open in summer 2015.
Within the Market, an area devoted to outreach and programming, will be managed and staffed by the Trustees of Reservations, offering year-round educational opportunities for customers of the Market, residents, and visitors. The programs presented and produced by the Trustees and delivered with a diverse set of non-profit partners will address culinary education, health and nutrition, youth engagement, sustainability and conservation, and will include programing such as chef-led cooking demonstrations, nutrition classes, market tours, and workshops.
“The Trustees of Reservations have a strong commitment to connecting people with locally grown food,†said Governor Duval Patrick. “They are an invaluable partner for the Boston Public Market’s outreach programs and will help ensure the success of this exciting new civic institution.”
The agreement is the culmination of an ongoing collaboration between The Trustees and the Boston Public Market and constitutes the first significant non-profit partnership announcement for the Market as it nears its opening date. The two organizations have worked together to raise funds for the design and build-out of the market, especially the demonstration kitchen which will serve as an educational hub.
“Creating a public market is most importantly about the people: the ones who will grow and produce the food, and the ones who will come to enjoy, eat, and celebrate all that New England offers,†said Liz Morningstar, CEO of the Boston Public Market. “The Trustees has a proven track record of attracting, educating, and engaging people across Massachusetts about local food, agriculture, and healthy lifestyles, and we are pleased to have them as a founding partner.â€
“Serving as the program partner of the market allows the Trustees to bring our knowledge about connecting people to places and ideas in a meaningful way for the Commonwealth,†said Barbara Erickson, President and CEO, Trustees of Reservations. “We believe that the new Boston Public Market will highlight the best of Massachusetts and New England agriculture, nature, and fisheries through a vibrant civic center. These ideas are core to the Trustees’ work so it’s only appropriate that we be a key partner in helping bring this place to life.â€
The Trustees’ programming at the Boston Public Market will reach a broad range of visitors and residents. The Trustees currently offers around 900 public programs on about 60 of its 113 reservations annually, but the new arrangement with the Public Market constitutes the first time the organization will offer programming on a site that is not its own reservation. Founded in 1891 by Charles Eliot, the Trustees has offered a regular selection of walks, talks, hikes, classes, workshops, tours, and performances to its many visitors, members, neighbors, and community groups as part of its effort to get more people to enjoy and experience its growing portfolio of sites. Annually, the organization estimates that it has more than 1.2 million visitors on its reservations and about 250,000 attending its public programs.
Historically, the Trustees has protected over 200 farm properties, including the nation’s oldest, Appleton Farms, and the organization is the largest private farm-land owner in the Commonwealth. Recently the Trustees began to see its properties as ways to help facilitate healthy connections to locally grown food. In the last 15 years, the organization has begun to focus on building a sustainable food system and is actively involved in community supported agriculture (CSA), farm stands, pantry donation, “food by prescription,†apprenticeships, day camps, and a full-fledged dairy operation. Last year, it launched Appleton Cooks, a culinary based program out of a demonstration kitchen at Appleton Farms and this fall has opened Powisset Cooks, a similar program at Powisset Farm in Dover.
The Boston Public Market will be a permanent, year-round, self-sustaining market featuring fresh locally-sourced food brought directly to and from the diverse people that make up Massachusetts and New England. The market’s permanent, indoor location on the Greenway directly above the Haymarket MBTA station is slated to open next year. The Boston Public Market currently runs two seasonal farmers markets each year along the Rose Kennedy Greenway, featuring over 30 local producers.
