NOW OPEN: Pop-Up Market Tuesdays thru Fridays 9-6pm
located at our new farmer food hub! First Floor: S1-57

Coastal Foodshed was created in 2017 and officially became incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the following year. It is our goal to strengthen the local food economy by creating the supply chain infrastructure that supports small farm operations and growth and makes it easier for customers to purchase local food.

We also focus on creating equitable access to local food among those households living in communities without enough places to buy fresh, healthy food, (food deserts) or relying on SNAP benefits to purchase the majority of their groceries. This work is made possible thanks to donations from community members, our state and local governments, private foundations, and sponsors.

Coastal Foodshed in 2020–2021 (in the midst of a global pandemic)

  • $290,000: value of local produce and foods sold through our three main programs 
  • 37: number of local farmers & food makers who sell through our programs
  • 19: number of towns, from Little Compton, Rhode Island, to Taunton, to Wareham, that we are able to reach through our Virtual Market.

Creating a stronger and more equitable local food system by

Supporting local farmers’ and food makers’ business development.

Coastal Foodshed takes care of the marketing, distribution, and sale of local food so farmers can focus on growing their businesses and growing more food. While large, industrial food producers have access to a full supply chain of marketing professionals, distributors, and grocery retailers, small farms do all of this work themselves, taking up their limited time and resources.

Providing fresh-food access for local communities.

We bring local food directly into neighborhoods where residents have little to no access to local food, and can use their SNAP benefits to purchase fresh, locally grown produce and other products.

Added bonus for the planet

Supporting locally sourced food from smaller farms and producers also helps the environment, by increasing sustainability and reducing environmental impact.

  • Reducing the carbon emissions due to transport
  • Supporting sustainable farming methods and biodiversity
  • Providing consumers an alternative to industrial farms

Ready to help strengthen the local food economy and support food equity in Greater New Bedford and Southcoast MA?

Programs that grow with our mission

Our long-term vision includes plans to build the infrastructure needed to get more local food into grocery stores and restaurants, as well as through direct-to-customer channels that will ultimately increase consumer access to healthy, local foods and produce. Our four current programs help promote, market and distribute local products from the farms of Southcoast MA.

OUR FUNDERS & SPONSORS

Meet Our Staff

Abigail Hevey, Co-Founder, Manager of Grants & Development
Abigail Hevey
Co-Founder, Manager of Grants & Development
Abigail Hevey, Co-Founder, Manager of Grants & Development

Abigail Hevey

Co-Founder, Manager of Grants & Development

Abby grew up on a small cattle farm in upstate New York, where her 75-year old father still farms and continues to share his love of farming with her two kids. She worked alongside Kim and Stephanie at Mass in Motion New Bedford and learned the importance of working to change policies and systems that create a healthier environment for everyone. As a grants manager, Abby's goal is to find and acquire funding for programs and projects that move toward systems and policy changes and create a long-lasting positive impact in the community.

Abby was also instrumental in founding Coastal Foodshed and we are excited to have her back on the team!

Becca Francisco
SNAP Access Operations Assistant

Becca Francisco

SNAP Access Operations Assistant

Becca is a graduate of MassArt with a BA in Fashion Design. She is a seamstress that loves sewing everything from doll clothes to cosplay, but after spending 8 years in the fashion industry, she wanted to pivot to a career that could do more for the local community and would align with her passion for sustainability and community building.

Becca was raised in Acushnet. Her father was a local ferrier who would take Becca along on visits to farms and stables in the area. It was not unusual for her father to take in unwanted animals, so there were always horses, cows, goats and rabbits in her life. And one time, even a pot-belly pig!

Her mother is a local nurse-midwife who, when she isn’t on call, can always be found in the garden or helping her father harvest honey to sell at local farmers markets. Becca’s family also owned Earth’s Partner organic store in Marion, where she would often be helping out after school or during the summer. This experience showed her that access to fresh and healthy food is a basic human right, that not only impacts your personal health, but the health of your community as well.

Having grown up with garden-fresh produce, barnyard animals, and a desire to make the world a more equitable place; it makes sense that she would feel at home here at Coastal Foodshed.

Dan King, Manager of the Mobile Farm Stand & Virtual Market
Dan King
Food Hub Consultant
Dan King, Manager of the Mobile Farm Stand & Virtual Market

Dan King

Food Hub Consultant

Dan was raised on and now operates a local farm in Dartmouth and has been farming on and off for more than two decades. Whether it’s been hay farming, or more recently raising eggs and vegetables for charitable donation, he has been involved in many aspects of both traditional and atypical farming.

Beyond an income, knowing farming supported him as a child and now nourishes him as an adult, Dan hopes to help grow local, sustainable farming to also support his community. Supplying more than just healthy foods, local farms support our ecosystem and economy and are vital to the overall health of our region.

Dan has been with CFS since 2019 and was the Mobile Farm Stand and Operations Manager since 2021. He has since moved into his new role as Wholesale Buyer for Coastal Foodshed's food hub operations.

Lauren Arbec
Wholesale & Procurement Manager

Lauren Arbec

Wholesale & Procurement Manager

Born and raised in Fairhaven, MA, Lauren developed a love of nature, fresh foods, and a passion for connecting with others. Moving away from the New England coast for undergrad, she developed a new understanding of urbanism and the struggles facing urban communities. After graduating with a Bachelors in Sociology, Lauren knew her ultimate professional goals would involve a commitment to serving the public and enacting social change, namely within marginalized and oppressed populations. Lauren’s work at Coastal Foodshed is guided under the Local Farming Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) program, a grant-funded initiative. Her work focusses, in-part, on the recruitment of socially disadvantaged farmers and farmers of color. She also assists in informing and educating the public regarding SNAP and HIP programs while maintaining CFS’s mission to increase the awareness of local food and produce a more resilient local food system.

Maisy McVicar
Program Manager

Maisy McVicar

Program Manager

Maisy grew up going to farmer's markets and eating locally sourced food, which inspired her love of cooking, appreciation of fresh fruits and vegetables, and interest in slow food and farming. After working as a chef in NYC kitchens for nearly a decade, Maisy's passion for food justice and community-led social change pulled her away from the restaurant industry and brought her to Coastal Foodshed. She loves working at the farmer's markets, dancing in her kitchen, gardening, and eating burritos.

Maisy started her work at CFS as an Operation Assistant and now oversees all programs including our farmers markets, mobile farm stand, virtual market, and learn to love local education program.

Miriam Riding
Learn to Love Local Assistant

Miriam Riding

Learn to Love Local Assistant

Rhonda Fazio
Learn to Love Local Chef

Rhonda Fazio

Learn to Love Local Chef

Rhonda has been working with Coastal Foodshed since the beginning days under Mass in Motion, heading up our cooking demo program at the markets. She is a local artist and owns Interwoven located in downtown New Bedford. You can find Rhonda in the community cooking up tasty, local dishes or dyeing silks using what nature provided. She specializes in the art and color of hand crafted foods prepared with the essence, love and spirit of her Sicilian Grandmother. Rhonda's cooking expertise lies within highlighting the natural flavors of local food and intuitively creating dishes with what's on hand at our markets and farm stands. Try her famous, simple dishes for yourself at one of our many cooking demonstrations and tastings!

Ryan Miller
Delivery and Operations Assistant

Ryan Miller

Delivery and Operations Assistant

Ryan is working on his bio! TBA

Sarah Cogswell
Director of Operations

Sarah Cogswell

Director of Operations

Stephanie Perks
Stephanie Perks
Co-Founder, Executive Director
Stephanie Perks

Stephanie Perks

Co-Founder, Executive Director

Stephanie started her career working on a farm, where she learned about the agricultural realities facing our farmers and grew a deep connection to the Southcoast’s farming community. She studied nutrition & dietetics in her undergraduate years learning about the connections between food and how to nourish our bodies. Looking to dive deeper into the role food plays in people’s lives, she studied at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy, where she learned about food from all angles and how it impacts our environment, economy, history, and culture. Upon becoming a Registered Dietitian, Stephanie looked to create a new path in the field that involved digging further into the root causes of chronic diseases that were ailing her patients. From 2014-2018, she worked at Mass in Motion New Bedford and the Southeastern MA Food Security Network (now the Southcoast Food Policy Council) tackling food access inequities in New Bedford. Working alongside other founding partners, from 2017-2020 she co-directed CFS creating different market channels and supply chains for farmers and food producers to sell more locally grown/made food through the Greater New Bedford communities. She now oversees the operations and strategic vision of the organization alongside her dedicated team. Stephanie also serves on the Board of SEMAP and the New Bedford Local Cultural Council.

Karen Schwalbe
President, Board of Directors

Karen Schwalbe

President, Board of Directors

Joseph Tavares
Treasurer, Board of Directors

Joseph Tavares

Treasurer, Board of Directors

Michelle Rodriguez
Board of Directors

Michelle Rodriguez

Board of Directors

Justin Shepard
Board of Directors

Justin Shepard

Board of Directors

Jill Terrell-Ouazzani
Board of Directors

Jill Terrell-Ouazzani

Board of Directors

Haley Rego
Board of Directors

Haley Rego

Board of Directors

Kimberly Ferreira
Co-Founder

Kimberly Ferreira

Co-Founder

Kim served as Co-Executive Director from 2017-2020 and she was instrumental in bringing Coastal Foodshed to fruition. We thank her for all of her support and dedication to CFS! Kim currently lives in New Bedford with her family and is an avid supporter of local food and farmers. She currently teaches health sciences at St. John's St. James.