Incorporated in 2016, Pitney Meadows Community Farm, Inc. (PMCF) was purposely established to manage a historic 166-acre family farm as a community farming and agricultural resource center. Since its founding, PMCF has expanded their farm-ready land deepened their connection to local food pantries. The farm has donated 270 pounds of produce in 2018, 1,000 pounds in 2019 and over 20,000 pounds in 2020 to these local food pantries.
Through a Sun Club grant of $49,770, PMCF will install two new solar powered wells to expand the farm and retrofit three existing wells to solar power. Solar power will replace gasoline generators to operate the wells, which will reduce fuel costs by $4,700 and estimated city water costs by $15,356 annually. Two of these wells will allow two new greenhouses to yield an additional 15,000 pounds of fresh produce annually with an extended growing season. These expansions and upgrades will continue to support the development of new farm enterprises and secure a strong local food system for years to come.
