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Our "Share the Harvest" farm project exemplifies social and community responsibility as we bring hundreds of volunteers together to raise thousands of pounds of fresh vegetables that are distributed to needy individuals via local food pantries. Hunger and nutrition are serious issues in Massachusetts. According to an alarming study by Project Bread, the prevalence of hunger in the state has increased by more than 50% in 2010 in low income communities. Communities we serve are listed among cities with the highest concentrations of hunger in Massachusetts, where one child in three lives in a family unable to meet its basic need for food resulting in "food Insecurity." The Sharing the Harvest YMCA Community Farm Project is a grassroots effort to alleviate hunger at the local level. The community farm at the Dartmouth YMCA was created for the express purpose of producing fresh and nutritious local fruits and vegetables for distribution by the Hunger Commission. Sharing the Harvest has three major objectives: 1) Alleviate hunger for children, families and adults in need of food assistance throughout the Southcoast region of Massachusetts by growing and distributing nutritional food to food pantries, soup kitchens and emergency feeding programs along the Southcoast of Massachusetts. 2) Promote volunteerism and an awareness of hunger in our communities, building community through neighbors helping neighbors. 3) Teach volunteers about agriculture, nutrition, and where our food comes from. Sharing the Harvest is driven by volunteers, to date more then 2500 volunteer hours have been logged by more then 1500 individual volunteers and groups. Although our major focus is growing nutritional food to alleviate hunger, this project promotes volunteerism and fosters the education of volunteers and the community at large to understand and confront the reality of hunger right in their own communities.