The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $24.6 million in grants to 163 Massachusetts food system enterprises Wednesday, helping to sustain Massachusetts’ food production and distribution sectors, while at the same time working to ensure that fresh, healthy, local food is available to all residents.

One of those award recipients is Shaw Farms in Dracut.  Shaw Farms is among only ten entities receiving $500,000, and the only one in Middlesex County to do so.

“We are fortunate to live in a state where farms and food production are valued by the citizens and their political leaders,” Shaw Farms Owner Warren Shaw tells InsideLowell. “The food shortages brought about by the pandemic of 2020 have shown that we should be prioritizing local agriculture and food supply chain we can count on.”

The funding is being distributed through the innovative Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) program, a competitive grant program managed by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and designed to ensure farmers and other local food producers are better connected to a strong and resilient food system.

“The food system represents so much of what makes Massachusetts great,” said Governor Maura Healey. “From our national leadership in cranberries and fisheries, to our dairy and maple producers, to our farm-to-school and urban agriculture efforts, we are committed to building the state’s food security through these grants.”

“Our food system is an integral part of our economy, our landscape, our culture, and public health,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These investments will help ensure that farmers, fishers, schools, distributors, and other stakeholders can continue to produce food and that all Massachusetts residents rely on.”

Launched in 2020 as a recommendation of the Massachusetts Food Security Task Force, the FSIG program provides grants for capital infrastructure investments that increase access to locally produced food for families and individuals throughout the state who may be facing food insecurity, live in gateway cities or food deserts, or otherwise face unequal access to food. The program seeks to ensure that farmers, fishers, and other local food producers are better connected to a strong, resilient food system to help mitigate future supply chain issues.