Food access
Affordable, healthy and culturally relevant food for residents who struggle to get enough.
Residents consistently ask for affordable fresh food close to home: markets, grocery stores, pantries and fridges, gardens, and delivery.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
144 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 29 | 2.4% | 18 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 45 | 3.7% | 12 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 70 | 5.3% | 6 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
Farmers markets and fresh produce markets
Residents want frequent, affordable neighborhood markets, including open-air markets like Haymarket, and in 2026-27 help paying for produce through farmers market coupons.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Food pantries, community fridges and free food sites
Residents ask for more places to get free food, including pantries, community fridges and surplus-food rescue, and later also ask that fridges be kept in working order.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Affordable community or city-run grocery stores
Residents in neighborhoods they describe as food deserts want an affordable, healthy grocery store nearby, increasingly framed as a city-owned or community-owned store.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Community gardens and growing food locally
Residents ask for funding and space to grow food in gardens, on underused land and in parks so low-income households can get fresh produce.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Bringing food to people who can't easily get it
Residents want food delivered to seniors and people with disabilities, or brought to low-income neighborhoods through mobile trucks and kiosks.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
2024–25
Ideas focused on farmers markets, pantries and fridges, surplus food rescue, and funding for grassroots groups, with several neighborhood-specific asks in Brighton and Allston.
2025–26
Ideas broadened to mobile grocery trucks, community-owned grocery stores and co-ops, pay-it-forward food programs, cooking education, and concern about federal SNAP cuts.
2026–27
Ideas rose to 70 and clustered around city-owned grocery stores, especially at the Blanchards site in Allston, and adding $2 million to the farmers market coupon program.
New in 2026–27
New or growing in 2026-27 are city-owned grocery stores (with many repeated asks for the Allston Blanchards site), a $2 million increase to farmers market coupons, help enrolling in SNAP, home container gardening kits, and free meals for people experiencing homelessness.
Funding so far
Winning projects fund nonprofit food assistance, community gardens and neighborhood fresh food access, but none yet address the recurring asks for city-owned or community grocery stores, farmers market coupons and markets, or food delivery for seniors.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
Expand Access to Fresh Foods
2024–25 · $400,000
This proposal will offer grants to nonprofit organizations to bolster assistance programs for Boston residents facing food insecurity.
Community Gardens in Neighborhoods with Limited Affordable Food Access
2024–25 · $500,000 · related theme
This proposal will offer grants to nonprofit organizations to build community gardens on underutilized land for public access and use.
Neighborhood Fresh Food Access Initiative
2025–26 · $500,000
This proposal provides funds to local organizations to increase access to healthy food in neighborhoods with higher food insecurity rates.
Departments that often lead this work
- Office of Food Justice
- Boston Public Health Commission
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Food access
144 ideas
2024–25: 29 · 2025–26: 45 · 2026–27: 70
- Place to buy cheaper foodResident asks for a place where food can be bought at lower prices, for all residents.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Affordable community restaurant for healthy mealsResident asks for a popular restaurant where people can eat well at low cost.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Program selling cheaper foodThe resident asks for a program that sells food at lower prices for all residents.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Portuguese
- Home and community gardening program with education and suppliesThe resident asks for a program promoting chemical-free home growing and community gardens, including education and supplies like vertical gardens for apartments, to improve food access and health.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Subsidized grocery trial and city-land produce gardensResident proposes a trial of subsidized groceries in the city's most disadvantaged areas, plus growing produce on city land to sell at a discount to grocery stores, to address food insecurity.2026–27City-wide
- Low-cost market or city grocery at Mass and CassResident asks for a low-cost farmers market or city-run grocery in the Mass and Cass area to end the food desert and support residents with health issues.2026–27Roxbury
- More help getting fresh vegetables and foodResident asks for more help obtaining vegetables and fresh food, since many people have limited access to food.2026–27Downtown
- Food for people who cannot afford itResident asks for food assistance for people without the resources to buy food, to help the community.2026–27Chinatown
- Food assistance for low-income seniorsThe resident asks for food assistance for low-income elders so they do not go hungry, citing social and racial equity.2026–27City-wide
- City-owned grocery storeResident proposes a city-owned grocery store to lower the cost of living for everyone.2026–27City-wide
- Free food truck with no questions askedResident proposes a free food truck at no cost and no questions asked, citing New York City, so unhoused and low-income people have good food.2026–27City-wide
- Free daily food for homeless peopleResident asks for free food every day for people experiencing homelessness.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- SNAP ambassadors and SHINE counseling sessionsResident asks for SNAP ambassadors and SHINE counseling offered a few times a month to help people access benefits.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Food for homeless childrenResident asks for food to be provided to homeless children.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Spanish
- Delivering food pantries for seniors in housing developmentsResident asks for more food pantries that deliver to seniors' housing developments, since many cannot stand in long lines.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- Food pantry delivery for people who can't wait in lineThe resident asks for food pantries to deliver food to people who are unable to stand in line.2026–27City-wideSubmitted in Korean
- City-owned grocery store in Allston VillageThe resident asks for a city or community-owned grocery store in the old Blanchards building, because loss of SNAP benefits is hurting the Allston/Brighton immigrant community.2026–27Allston
- Community fridges in Allston and BrightonThe resident asks for community fridges to be placed in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods.2026–27Allston
- Increase EBT benefitsThe resident asks for more EBT money to be given out.2026–27East Boston
- More farmers marketsThe resident asks for more farmers markets to promote healthy eating.2026–27City-wide