Food For Free is benefiting from a grant by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR).

With a new year comes an increased capacity to connect individuals and families facing food insecurity with nutrition for Food For Free, the largest food rescue and redistribution organization in Eastern Massachusetts.

The nonprofit will receive $262,500 worth of fresh produce purchased with grant funds sourced by Boston Area Gleaners from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Plus Program (LFPA Plus).

The grant funding will be distributed over the course of 18 months to purchase locally grown produce, a majority of which will be sourced from socially disadvantaged farmers, and distribute goods to those in need across the region.

“We are grateful and excited for this opportunity to deepen our partnership with Boston Area Gleaners,” said Jessica Cantin, CEO of Food For Free. “It directly results in the opportunity to bring fresh produce to the communities we serve that is sourced locally from farmers.

These kinds of partnerships are the catalyst for impact on every level within the communities we serve, from the recipients of the food to the farmers who are able to strengthen their business from the revenue.”

Starting this month, Food For Free will receive a weekly delivery of nearly 2,000 lbs. of fresh seasonal produce, such as beets, daikon radishes, and fresh shiitake mushrooms, from the Boston Area Gleaners through the LFPA Plus funding.

Each Friday, the Boston Area Gleaners will deliver pallets to Food For Free’s Somerville facility where the nonprofit will package and distribute the produce to neighboring food access organizations, including East Boston Community Soup Kitchen, Cambridge Community Center and Somerville Housing Authority. Beyond Food For Free’s involvement, Boston Area Gleaners’ total LFPA Plus award of $750,000 extends this impact across Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

“We are honored to have received two rounds of LFPA funding from MDAR,” said Usha Thakrar, Executive Director of Boston Area Gleaners. “The funding allows our farm partners to have a secure source of revenue and gives us and our food access partners a consistent supply of locally grown fresh produce year-round. This is especially important as food insecurity rates in Massachusetts are at an all-time high. Partners like Food For Free are critical to distributing healthy food to our communities.”

Headquartered in Cambridge and Somerville, MA, Food For Free rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and creates new distribution channels to reach underserved populations in 27 communities across the region. Founded in 1981 as one of the nation’s first food rescue organizations, the nonprofit now serves more than 150,000 Massachusetts residents facing food insecurity and distributes 7.5 million pounds of nutritious fresh and prepared foods annually.