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
- Public kitchens with fresh produce, prioritizing homelessResident proposes public kitchen programming with access to fresh produce, part-time hires and volunteers, prioritizing people experiencing homelessness.2025–26City-wide
- Fund local entrepreneurs' healthy food initiativesResident asks for a fund supporting healthy food initiatives by local entrepreneurs, since lower-income families have less access to healthy food.2025–26City-wide
- More accessible public kitchens and fresh produceResident asks for more accessible public kitchens, fresh produce access and part-time spots for food trucks, to improve access to healthy food and hot meals.2025–26City-wide
- Pantry, feminine and hygiene products for those in needResident asks for resources for less fortunate residents, including food pantry necessities, feminine products and hygiene products.2025–26City-wide
- More food for everyoneResident asks for more food to be available for everyone.2025–26City-wide
- Clothes, shoes, books and food for childrenResident wants children to have clothing, shoes, books and enough food amid economic changes, having seen many hungry students while working at a charter school.2025–26Dorchester
- Healthy food, health fairs and social workers in District 7Resident suggests District 7 funds buying healthy food, supporting health fairs, and paying social workers to support single mothers.2025–26South End
- Municipal grocery store and refill co-opResident proposes a municipal grocery or co-op refill store with bulk goods and local producers, since Brighton and Oak Square are food deserts lacking affordable healthy food.2025–26Brighton
- Farmers markets in AllstonResident says Allston needs farmers markets.2025–26Allston
- Affordable supermarket for healthier foodResident wants a supermarket option so families can afford healthier food, especially for children with health issues who need to eat well.2025–26City-wide
- Neighborhood food forestsCreate food forests in neighborhoods to keep food available to everyone.2025–26City-wide
- Saturday bus to affordable grocery storesRun a Saturday bus in Allston-Brighton taking residents to affordable stores with culturally relevant foods, helping families without transportation access nutritious food.2025–26Unspecified
- More food assistance for poor familiesResident asks for more food support because poor families suffer from lack of food.2025–26City-wide
- Food accessResident says food access is a serious issue and asks for it to be addressed.2025–26City-wide
- Help and food resources for people in povertyResident asks for assistance and resources for people living in poverty, and food resources for everyone.2025–26City-wide
- More access to healthy food like vegetablesResident asks for more resources to obtain and eat healthier food, such as vegetables, to improve people's short- and long-term health and wellbeing.2025–26City-wide
- More free food distribution sitesResident asks for more places that give out free food to help people who lack enough money for food.2025–26City-wide
- Redistribute and compost excess foodResident asks for funding for programs that distribute excess food and compost it, focusing on communities with less access to food and composting.2025–26City-wide
- Funding for community food gardensResident asks for funding for gardens so low-income households can grow food and gain more access to food.2025–26City-wide
- Community refrigerator at BMC BrightonPlace a community refrigerator at BMC Brighton because many people in the area do not have food available.2025–26Brighton