OUR COMMUNITY
Dani Lewis and Marielle Vega of Growing Places at their new food processing center in Gardner, opened in part with investment support from HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.
Launching FEAST: Food Equity and Sustainable Transformation In 2025, UMass Memorial Health deepened our commitment to food equity by launching the Food Equity and Sustainable Transformation (FEAST) initiative. The program was shaped by over 130 community members across Worcester and north Worcester County who participated in “design days” to identify resources and gaps and co-create strategies to address food insecurity in our region. FEAST is built on the belief that those most affected should lead the change in creating an equitable regional food system. Community voices guided every step — shaping priorities, goals and strategies. Through this process, UMass Memorial aligned our internal resources with four strategic levers: infrastructure development, social and clinical care integration, policy and advocacy, and funding and investing. FEAST also strengthened relationships with regional food resources and grassroots organizations, highlighting the need to reduce barriers, build trust, listen deeply and invest in solutions that communities want. Looking ahead, FEAST will grow stronger through deep community partnerships. UMass Memorial will stay active with regional food organizations, publish annual impact reports and align policies with community-defined priorities. Next steps include investing in local food-related businesses and farmers through local food aggregators, expanding patient co-design of programs and advocating for laws that reflect people’s lived experience. By removing barriers and elevating the voices of those most affected, FEAST is helping build a food system rooted in equity, resilience and shared leadership. • 26 | A Year of Impact 2025
During 2025, FEAST laid the groundwork for several community-defined goals: Directing 10% of our food purchases to local, small and disadvantaged growers Committing to allocating 40% of our $1 million in community investments to food equityrelated projects, with implementation underway Engaging 100 patients to inform the design of food access programs and referrals through a collaborative process Advocating for federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program policy improvements prioritized by local partners