Chicopee Overview
Chicopee is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, in the south western part of the state. They have a population of 54,838 people and an area of 22.8 square miles. Climate hazards present in Chicopee include inland flooding, severe weather, extreme temperatures, and ecological changes.
Chicopee's MVP 2.0 Seed Project: Whole Healthy Chicopee & Garden Giveaway Day(s)
Chicopee received funding to implement a Seed Project that addresses one or more of their climate resilience priorities.
They will host a Healthy Chicopee event promoting healthy activities and existing resources, with a fresh food giveaway. Give away seeds and garden supplies (e.g. buckets w soil, shovels) and share info for people to grow your own. Include information about other City exercise and health-related resources.
The activities of this project include:
- Major Steps: Coordinate with existing City, gardening, and farm resources to plan event - maybe it occurs as a table/workshops in coordination with existing events. (Ideally multiple locations/ events to reach different neighborhoods)
- Focus is: a fresh food giveaway, and health awareness event. In addition to garden giveaway, offer a demo to teach people how to start and maintain a bucket garden. Fact sheets on how to grow and cook fresh veggies.
- Promote to community to get attendance/spread awareness about giveaway.
- Can involve working with partners (e.g. food bank, grocery stores) to generate food donations and develop ideas about improving food access points.