As many of you know, we (Lise and Melissa) have leased this farm from the Town of Concord since 2014 when the Town put out a Request for Proposals and chose us as the farmers! Our lease includes 14 acres of farmland, the farm stand, barn, a house, and an apartment converted from a two car garage. Lise had a 3 month old at the time (and a couple of years later had a second child), so she and her husband moved into the house while Melissa moved into the one bedroom apartment. In 2023 Melissa had a son with her partner Nigel. Since that time we have looked into ways that we might be able to continue to live here and farm this land while also giving Melissa and Nigel’s son a bedroom separate from his parents as he grows up.
While many options were considered (and exhausted), the non-profit 501(c)(3) Concord Housing Foundation stepped up to help and has taken on the project of a small addition to the apartment where Melissa and her family live to make it a 2 bedroom unit. The proposed addition would allow both the current and future farmers living in the second unit to continue to farm the land once having a family with children. As the houses on the farm are leased as affordable housing units with income restrictions, this fits with CHF’s overall mission to increase the number of affordable family homes in Concord.
If you would like to learn more, visit the Concord Housing Foundation website:
https://concordhousingfoundation.org/barretts-mill-farm-fundraiser
If you have any questions about the project or ideas about fundraising email Lise or Melissa!
Melissa and Lise with their kids and the farm crew in 2023!