Food Project wins Boston, HSPH award

The Food Project, a nonprofit organization that cultivates youth leadership and environmental sustainability, has won the 2005 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Children’s Health. The award is given jointly by the city of Boston Mayor’s Office, the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), and Children’s Hospital Boston. The ceremony took place on Oct. 20 at the Parkman House in Boston.

Each year, a diverse group of 60 youth from The Food Project manages and cultivates rural farmland in Lincoln, Mass., and several lots in urban Boston. The group grows nearly a quarter million pounds of food each season, donating about half to local shelters. The remainder is sold through community-supported crop shares, farmers’ markets, and a service that delivers vegetables to workplaces. The group also partners with urban gardeners to raise awareness about lead-contaminated soil, and to help remediate problem lots.