Produce distributed for free to seniors at an Elmwood community event, July 2026
One in three Rhode Island households does not have reliable access to enough food. When fresh, affordable produce is scarce, the consequences reach far beyond the dinner table. In Providence County, rates of obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes each exceed the national average with direct ties to diet. Getting fresh food to the people who need it most is, at its core, a health intervention.
Since 2016, SCLT’s Healthy Food Access program has built one of the most direct responses to nutrition insecurity in the state, and it begins long before the harvest. SCLT staff and partners work with farmers across every stage of their operation, from land access and production planning to food safety training, business development, and market connections, so that when produce is ready, it moves quickly and predictably to the people who need it most. In 2025, that meant 60,000 pounds of locally grown food distributed across the state at no cost to recipients, through free farm stands and partnerships with community organizations, generating $350,000 in income for farmers who grew it.
Seasonal Food Access Associate Farah Figuereo
This season, Healthy Food Access Program Manager Kakeena Castro brought that work to a new venue, forging a partnership with Urban Greens Co-op Market, South Providence’s community-owned grocery at 93 Cranston Street, to bring network-grown produce to co-op shoppers from July through November, traveling less than 10 miles from field to shelf. Supporting the program through the season is Farah Figuereo, who joined the team in early July as SCLT’s Seasonal Food Access Associate.
