Greetings Commonwealth Corps Community,
At long last, it feels as though spring is here to stay With warmer days and more daylight upon us, we are entering the final stretch of the service year with just three months remaining.
This is an exciting and meaningful time, as members reflect on the impact they have made, the relationships they have built, and the growth they have experienced, all while looking ahead to what comes next
Spring brings a renewed sense of energy, and can also bring competing priorities and distractions As schedules get busy it is important that we stay grounded in our shared commitment to service Now is the time to lean on one another, to offer support, maintain strong communication, and finish the term with intention
There are many moving pieces in these final months, so we encourage everyone to keep a close eye on their email for important updates, reminders, and opportunities from the CC team
One of the highlights of this season is our upcoming round of spring site visits Over the next few months, the Commonwealth Corps team will be traveling across the state to visit each of our eight host sites. These visits are a meaningful opportunity for us to see members in action and to connect with the team through thoughtful conversation and reflection.
We are also excited to share that this year’s Commonwealth Corps Celebration of Service will be at the Massachusetts State House! The event is from 11am2pm on June 16, 2026 and will include member and host site recognition, reflections from members and alumni, and a chance to connect with the larger Commonwealth Corps and MSA community We look forward to seeing you there!
As always, thank you for being part of the Commonwealth Corps community The dedication, adaptability, and care you bring to your work each day make this program what it is As we move through this busy and exciting season, continue to carry your sense of purpose and community proudly
Warmly,
Victoria Tucker Commonwealth Corps Program Manager
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New Entry Sustainable Farming Project’s mission is to train and support new farmers, encourage resilient farming practices, facilitate access to local food and farm products, and build strong support networks for diverse agricultural communities Our Commonwealth Corps members, Lydia McGinn and Arika Freeman-Gritter, have been serving as Food Access and Community Engagement Coordinators at New Entry.
They have worked with our food hub team to expand access to locally grown produce in underserved areas and have been a steady presence at several food access sites in the Greater Boston Area.
Throughout their service term, they have been incredible team members They focused on running a strong mobile market program, streamlining food hub produce packing procedures, surveying and documenting the impact of our food access work, creating materials to promote the local farmers in our network, and developing our farm to school program.
The food hub has always wanted to do more to educate our clients about the farmers who grow the produce we deliver and to build our connection with the schools who integrate our local produce into school meals. Hosting Commonwealth Corps members allowed us to build our farm to school program and to create materials that promote the small-scale farmers in our network
This year, Arika and Lydia were able to collaborate with Salem and Ipswich public schools to organize farmer visits to 17 K-12 classrooms and 7 filed trips to local farms They worked with the farmers and the teachers to plan and facilitate ageappropriate activities to help kids understand a bit more about where their food comes from These materials will be used for years to come
The food hub also aims to improve access to locally grown produce in areas that have limited access to healthy food. Arika and Lydia organized and managed a weekly mobile market veggie van at housing authority sites in Lynn and Revere and launched a collaboration with Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School’s Food Truck to cook and serve healthy lowcost meals featuring local ingredients It has been truly inspiring to see Arika and Lydia bringing these projects to life. Their efforts have allowed the food hub to offer education and support along with the produce we deliver Whether it is Arika organizing logistics with teachers and farmers in preparation for the farmer visits, or Lydia diving into data analysis and reporting to illustrate our impact, it has been incredible to work alongside these two remarkable people.
MEETARIKA
I was drawn to the Commonwealth Corps program as a way to become reinvolved in my community after being out of state for college. While in school I focused on developing a deep understanding of food systems and food justice and serving at New Entry has allowed me to apply this learning to meaningful food access and local food system development work happening on the North Shore
We began our service primarily running the New Entry's SANP and HIP eligible Mobile Market, visiting housing authority sites and facilitating access to fresh local produce for seniors and other community members While this project has been on hold through the winter, we are excited to be running it again starting in June!
During the off season, Lydia and I have been developing a farm to school curriculum and workshops to bring to the local schools which receive produce from the New Entry Food Hub, facilitating important connections between students and the farmers growing their produce This role has allowed me to build my curriculum design skills and has facilitated many connections with other organizations doing similar work throughout Massachusetts. I am excited to continue to expand this work, planning several upcoming field trips for students to visit local farms, and figuring out how to incorporate more educational content and interactive activities at our Mobile Market stops
MEETLYDIA
I first connected to my local food system as a volunteer at Newhall Fields Community Farm in Peabody, MA, helping grow produce to be harvested and distributed directly to those living through food insecurity Growing food and connecting to the land alongside my neighbors was a joyful and empowering experience
When I learned that the Commonwealth Corps program supported the Food Access and Community Engagement Coordinator position at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project a role in which I would get to continue serving my community by bringing fresh produce to underserved areas, supporting farmers, AND help lead others in volunteer roles similar to the one that sparked my own interest in farming and food systems, it felt like a perfect fit.
Arika and I have supported New Entry in two major ways throughout our CC term:
On the food access side, we operate New Entry’s Mobile Market, a single-stall, moveable farmers’ market that brings affordable, SNAP/HIP eligible, locally sourced produce to areas with limited food access
On the community engagement side, we have built out visual aids and lesson plans to strengthen New Entry’s farm to school programming Facilitating farmer classroom visits and Harvest of the Month taste tests has been fun and rewarding. Students are so curious about the work of farming and how food is produced!
Since starting my Commonwealth Corps term at New Entry, I’ve learned so much about the behind-the-scenes work of getting food from farms to consumers and am excited to be staying on (with Arika!) as one of New Entry Food Hub’s Auxiliary Program Managers this summer In this role I’ll continue to support the CSA, Council on Aging, and Mobile Market distribution channels, using the skills I’ve learned through Commonwealth Corps to lead the volunteer groups that make New Entry's mission possible
April16,2026
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Whale & Dolphin Conservation North America's vision is a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free. Our work is guided by outreach, policy, and science, which support our four goals: expanding marine animal rescue and response (MARR), educating the public, advancing science and research, and strengthening policy efforts
We are happy to be partnering for a third year with MSA’s Commonwealth Corps program Having service members has greatly increased our capacity to provide marine science education to communities throughout the Commonwealth We chose to host members not only to expand our organization’s outreach, but also to provide members with meaningful opportunities to explore careers in marine science and conservation. This year in particular, our MARR team has expanded their response area to over 300 miles of coastline, requiring us to significantly ramp up outreach in a new area
Our service members have been crucial for helping us tackle that expansion smoothly Their contributions have strengthened our education programming and helped us build a more extensive volunteer network
We are proud to host two full-time members, Amanda and Mike Amanda’s project has focused on developing new educational content including a handsewn seal model complete with internal organs! Mike's project has had quite an impact on our volunteer program, and he has helped guide the onboarding and training of new volunteers in our Boston response area. Most recently, Amanda and Mike worked together to pilot a new lesson for kindergarten students focused on whale song and ocean sounds Trialing a brand-new lesson is always a challenge, and keeping such young learners focused adds another layer but both members rose to the occasion and were able to adapt to the chaos!
By the end of their term, Amanda and Mike will have made a lasting impact on WDC through their service In addition to creating new educational materials that will be used in future school years, they have helped expand our reach within the local community The relationships they’ve built with students, teachers, businesses, and fellow nonprofits will continue to support WDC’s mission and inspire more people to care about whales and our ocean environment
