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about us

WHO WE ARE

The MetroWest Food Collaborative (MWFC) is a regional effort that includes Ashland, Framingham, Hudson, Hopkinton, Maynard, Milford, Millis, and Natick. The MWFC kicked off in October 2021, as a project of MetroWest Moves, the regional Mass in Motion, after a 9-month planning process.  The Collaborative is composed of over 50 community members, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, farmers and funders throughout the MetroWest region. To strategically facilitate expansion, the MWFC merged under the MetroWest Shared Public Health Services (MWSPHS) umbrella in the fall of 2022.  Benefits to this collaboration include; increasing coordinated communications across the region, impacting policy change in our work, collaboratively pooling resources, increasing staff capacity and expertise to deliver better health protections, programs and outcomes.  MWFPHS is housed in the Town of Hudson Health Department.

MISSION

Our mission is to actively join with the community to strengthen the local food system by advocating for policies and programs that support equitable access to nourishing, affordable, and culturally appropriate food.

VISION

We envision a thriving food system that delivers food justice for all. Food justice is a holistic and structural view of the food system that sees healthy food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right.

In all efforts, members of the MetroWest Food Collaborative will refer to and approach their activities in alignment with the mission, vision, and values statement. This will most critically include recognizing disparities in the food system, and working to advance racial equity and food justice.

VALUES STATEMENTS

Inclusion

  • We believe inclusion is a right, not a privilege.

  • We commit to amplifying community voices by meeting residents where they are: in the community.

  • We commit to proactively seeking feedback and ensuring diverse participation in decision-making.

 

Fairness & Equity

  • We commit to advancing equitable access to resources and skills by addressing disparities in obtaining, producing and preparing food.

 

Accountability

  • We commit to working collaboratively to achieve consensus.

  • We commit to transparency through continuous communication and gathering feedback for improvement.

 

Receptive to New Ideas

  • We believe innovation should be guided by leveraging best practices, research, centering residents’ needs and proactively seeking ideas that will serve and strengthen the whole community.

 

Working Together

  • We commit to treating everyone with respect, dignity, and empathy.

  • We believe in the strength of collective impact, and our actions embrace and are organized around these principles and practices. 

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