Note that if you purchase something via one of our links, including Amazon, we may earn a small commission.
Island Grown Initiative expands its reach with a new space — and joins a regional food system assessment to plan for the future.
The Island Food Pantry, run by Island Grown Initiative (IGI), has a new home across the street from Tony’s Market in Oak Bluffs. Opened in November 2024, the space includes a walk-in freezer, warehouse storage, and a streamlined new system — all of which allow IGI to serve more food to more Islanders.
Clients now place pre-orders online and sign up for 15-minute pickup windows. “We pivoted from in-person shopping to online pre-orders for everyone other than seniors,” says IGI co-executive director Noli Taylor. “That means people can still have the choice of what they want and need from the pantry, which is really important to us, but it’s just become a much more efficient system.” Seniors continue to shop in person on Fridays, which Noli says provides a valuable social connection.
Behind the scenes, volunteers pack and distribute orders in what Noli describes as a “well-oiled machine.” “Our pantry staff, Vinnie [Padalino] and Emily [Pinheiro de Souza], make it so fun,” she says. “On Saturdays they have a disco ball that they hang from the ceiling and they turn on the music really loud — because it’s busy. It’s a lot.”
Clients pull up, check in, and volunteers package and load their pre-ordered groceries into their cars. In the previous location at the PA Club, there used to be a 35–40 minute wait time. “Now people are waiting five to seven minutes,” Noli says. “For families under stress or working multiple jobs, it’s so important to make this as dignified and efficient as possible. And it feels like we’re really able to do that now.”
The pantry now runs six days a week, with pickups on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, senior shopping on Fridays, and delivery and restocking midweek. The pantry serves an average of 1,000 Islanders each week.
Much of the food comes from IGI’s farm, which grows more than 100,000 pounds of produce annually — most of which goes to food access programs and primarily to the pantry. Local farms also contribute, including regular donations from Slough Farm and bread from The Grey Barn in the off-season. IGI also receives 7,000 pounds of food weekly from the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), a key partner in the effort.
More than 300 volunteers support IGI’s pantry operations. “They are so dedicated,” Noli says. “It’s just another example of food being this connector in the community.”
Future plans for the new pantry include renovations upstairs to create office space and make more room for food storage. “We want better shelving for vertical storage, especially for dried goods in case of ferry interruptions,” Noli says. Solar is another next step: IGI worked with Resonant Energy and Vineyard Power to develop plans to put a solar array on the roof and will be raising funds to install the array in the coming year.
The GBFB’s most recent food insecurity report showed a continued rise in need, including on the Island. Thirty-seven percent of people in Massachusetts are considered food insecure. “The Food Bank team visited us a few months ago,” Noli says. “They were really impressed by how we’re addressing food insecurity holistically, through the pantry and prepared meals, climate-resilience farming, and our Island Grown Schools program. It’s this comprehensive community approach, and they felt there was nothing else like it.”
Looking ahead, IGI is also participating in a regional community food assessment, the first to include the Cape and Islands as part of Southeastern Massachusetts. The effort is led by the Marion Institute and uses a tool called CARAT — the Community and Agriculture Resilience Audit Tool — to evaluate everything from food access and farming to equity and climate resilience.
“It helps you see where you are and where the gaps are in your food system,” Noli says. The work supports long-term goals under the Martha’s Vineyard Climate Action Plan, which includes sourcing 50% of the Island’s food from the northeastern U.S. by 2040. “It’s an ambitious goal,” she says. “We’re going to need to work with partners in our region to really make our food system more robust. This assessment gives us an opportunity to do that.”
Learn more about IGI at igimv.org. To learn about volunteering opportunities, visit igimv.org/volunteer.
