Jack Barnett, long time vounteer

I have long cared about eating local food and sustainability. As a retired engineer it’s scary to learn about our industrialized ‘food’ system and the results, which our great-grandparents would not recognize as food.

Food Chain in Lexington’s renovated Bread Factory is trying to change that, in ways that are perhaps still “industrial” but are local, healthy and with a much lighter impact on the environment. For 18+ months I had the pleasure of volunteering there for ~1 day each week – helping harvest the lettuces, herbs or fish; transplanting; cleaning or whatever needed extra hands that day. The opportunity to grow tasty things, even in the dark and coldest winter, and then to carry the product into the kitchen door at Smithtown Seafood (oh, about 15 steps away) to be served fresh to so many good people. Talk about making a difference. That’s a great feeling! And learning new things each visit; this is not just gardening, but producing! Which after 30 years in corporate life, rarely, if ever was so exciting for me.

Keep up the great work!! – Jack