Eastie Farm is a grassroots effort based in East Boston, a working class neighborhood with more than 50% immigrants, to increase community resilience and food access through gardening. The mission-driven organization transformed an abandoned lot into an open, green space to grow food and encourages both community involvement and education surrounding topics such as food waste reduction and local growing.

Eastie Farm President Kannan Thiruvengadam uses Spoiler Alert to purchase food and claim food giveaways for community volunteers, as well as to distribute surplus to various social organizations in East Boston.

Through the platform he has purchased and claimed hummus, jarred tomato sauce, baby eggplants, and cucumbers, and he’s been able to redistribute these products to:

• Crossroads (supporting single moms, low income families, and people with disabilities)
• Meridian House (providing rehabilitation for substance abuse victims)
• Zumix (a youth organization bringing kids together through music)
• East Boston Soup Kitchen (a weekly lunch and dinner for over 100 homeless folks)

“The platform is an amazing way to reduce food waste while feeding the hungry and reducing food expenses for the poor,” said Thiruvengadam. “The interface works well, and the information is accurate.”

Photo credit: Eastie Farm Facebook page

For new users to the marketplace, Thiruvengadam recommends enabling text notifications about available food and responding quickly to suppliers when they post. His favorite feature is being notified directly on his phone about surplus and being able to communicate directly with suppliers.

Eastie Farm received the City of Boston’s Greenovate Award for Community Engagement in 2016, which recognizes efforts within Boston to help reduce the city's greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Spoiler Alert is honored to support this innovative group in the Boston community with their food sourcing and admire their commitment to waste reduction!