The Haverhill YMCA is hosting a harvest party to celebrate the second anniversary of its Freight Factory hydroponic farm at the city's Gateway Academy. The party is Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Gateway Academy, 415 Primrose St., Haverhill. Participants are invited to tour the garden and pick their own lettuce.
The indoor container garden is called a "freight farm" because it is set up inside a 40-by-8-foot shipping container painted on the sides in bright colors with the message "The Y Feeds Kids." As WHAV reported when it opened in October 2023, it was heralded at the first farm of its kind operated by a YMCA in country.
The farm is used as a teaching tool to help students learn about the origins of their food, how to grow vegetables from seed and about healthy eating choices. Beth Israel Lahey Health provided the Y with a $165,000 grant to cover the initial installation and the city supplied $30,000 to cover electrical work.
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