• 1990-1994 - A group of volunteers, organized through Food For Free, a Cambridge food bank, and coordinated by Oakes Plimpton, began gleaning area farms for produce to donate to local emergency food programs, soup kitchens, and shelters. Interest in the preservation of local farming led to a proposal to farm the fallow fields at the UMass Field Station site in Waltham.

  • 1995 - Our first season of farming. Four acres were planted on the UMass fields that had not been used for seven years.

  • 1996 - We incorporated under the name Community Farms Outreach, as a nonprofit 501(c)3 charitable organization with a mission of hunger relief, education, and farm preservation, deciding to name the farm Waltham Fields Community Farm.

  • 1997 - Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program was created in order to garner funding for effective farm management and expand our provision of local food to a broader range of constituents.

  • 1998 - The Children’s Learning Program is created.

  • 1999 - Friends of Cornelia Warren Farm was formed to advocate for the preservation and rehabilitation of the UMass site.

  • 2000 - First annual spring celebration and fundraiser was held, now called Sprout.

  • 2001 - A banner year for produce donations, which totaled 27,000 pounds.

  • 2002 - Year-round Farm Manager and Assistant Farm Manager positions were created. The CSA sells a record 150 shares with still more interested parties left on the waiting list.

  • 2003 - A record number of volunteer hours were logged. Organizational members, community groups, and an AmeriCorps team contributed 6,000 hours of field labor, and in the process learned about how food is grown.

  • 2004 - Waltham Fields Community Farm expands, farming an additional 3 acres of land located at the nearby Lyman Estate. Farm staff and volunteers erect a heated greenhouse.

  • 2005 - We celebrated our tenth anniversary.

  • 2006 - We started drafting our first Strategic Plan, and made the decision to hire an Executive Director.

  • 2007 - Annual donations to our hunger relief programs increased to $30,000. The organization decided to rebrand itself by creating a new logo and filing with the State of Massachusetts to be allowed to officially do business as Waltham Fields Community Farm (WFCF) instead of as Community Farms Outreach, Inc. The business certificate was granted in January 2008.

  • 2008 - WFCF started the Waltham Fields Outreach Market, a once-a-week market in Waltham targeted to the clientele of several project partners: the Joseph Smith Community Health Center, the Power Program, the Waltham Family School, and the WATCH CDC, as well as to low-income residents in the neighborhood.  The market enables low-income residents and recent immigrants in this neighborhood the chance to purchase fresh, sustainably-grown produce at highly subsidized prices.

  • 2009 - At 15 years and going strong, our commitment to education and service learning programs is enhanced by hiring our first Education and Outreach Coordinator.

  • 2010 - We redrafted our mission statement to more clearly reflect our goals of promoting local agriculture, providing food access for all, engaging in public education, and managing land sustainably.

  • 2011 - Our second Strategic Plan is completed and approved by our Board of Directors, shaping our priorities for the next three years.

  • 2012 - We take on a third land lease for four acres in Weston, helping the family that owns the property reclaim productive farmland for organic food production. Together with our Waltham leases with UMass (our base of operations) and Historic New England (at the Lyman Estate), we are now farming a total of 15 acres.

  • 2013 - What a year! We started a Youth Crew paid-jobs initiative for teens, we entered into a contract with LexFarm to run the farm operation next year for Lexington's first community farm on the former Busa family land, and we branched out of our vegetable comfort and raised three pigs on the Weston land.

  • 2014 - OUR 20th YEAR FARMING ON THE UMASS WALTHAM LAND and our most productive year ever, distributing over $100,000 worth of vegetables for food assistance, feeding 700 households through our CSA program, opening up our distribution barn for some sales to the public, and providing 500 children with hands-on educational experiences on the farm.

  • 2017 - Our fourth Strategic Plan is completed and approved by our Board of Directors, shaping our priorities for the next three years.

  • 2018 - We celebrated our 20th Anniversary of our Learning Garden and our 10th Anniversary of our Mobile Outreach Market.

  • 2019 - We celebrated our 25th season of FARMING at the Waltham Field Station.Waltham City Council approves Mayor McCarthy’s request to advance a purchase and sales agreement for the UMass Field Station and approve financing the transaction. The City of Waltham's Community Preservation Committee unanimously approved Mayor McCarthy’s application for CPA funds to support the purchase of the UMass Field Station. The City of Waltham appropriated $13.75+ million to purchase the Waltham Field Station, one of the town's most important historical agricultural properties and the largest CPA Open Space preservation project in history

  • 2020 - A CELEBRTION OF CFO'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY! Piloted WFCF's Produce Rx Program. The Massachusetts Senate and House approved legislation authorizing the City of Waltham to purchase the UMass Field Station and ensuring that the fertile land at the field station will be limited to certain uses in perpetuity: open-space, agriculture and recreation.

  • 2021 - We created our next strategic plan and re-envisioned our mission statement and vision; Waltham Fields Community Farm cultivates sustainable and equitable relationships between people, their food supply, and the land from which it grows. - We envision communities with equitable access to the beauty, sanctuary, and food of local, sustainable farms.

  • 2022 - March 1 The City of Waltham acquires the 28 acre former UMass Field Station at 240 Beaver Street. WFCF prepares to submit a bid to the City of Waltham for future and long-term tenancy for our nonprofit farm and organization at 240 Beaver Street.

  • 2023 - April 11 Community Farms Outreach dba Waltham Fields Community Farm submits its RFP to the City of Waltham for management of approximately 22.59 acres and buildings at 240 Beaver St.

Additional Historical Information