news & Blog

November 17, 2025 | By: Resilient Sisterhood Project Mattapan is a southern neighborhood of Boston, located a few miles from downtown Boston, Massachusetts. The majority of its residents are Black and Hispanic, and a significant portion of the suburb is home to immigrants. Mattapan has a long history of community activism that has and continues to address structural barriers, such as racist and classist policies that affect the health of people in low-income Black and Brown n

December 11, 2025 | By: Amelia Mason A view of "Sibylant House" by artist Caledonia Curry, known as Swoon, installed at the Boston Public Library as part of the Triennial. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR) When the public art nonprofit Now + There announced it would rebrand as the Boston Public Art Triennial, my first question was: Why? I put the question to Triennial executive director Kate Gilbert back in the spring . Her answer made a certain sense. It takes monumental effort to put u

BOSTON, MA – Mattapan Food & Fitness Coalition is pleased to share that the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network has awarded Shavel'le Olivier with a 2026 Pinnacle Award in the category of Emerging Executive. The 2026 Pinnacle Awards honors nine outstanding women professionals in the Commonwealth for achievements in business, government, and management. The Chamber’s Pinnacle Awards continue to serve as the region’s most prestigious honor for women in professio

Urban Farming Institute deploys 650 turkey baskets for the holiday.. November 26, 2025 | By: Cassidy Neely The spirit of Thanksgiving warmed a chilly breeze last Thursday morning (Nov. 20) as hundreds of people waited in a line that started in front of the yellow Clark- Epstein-Fowler Farm building and wrapped around the sidewalk along Norfolk Street in an ebb and flow throughout the day to pick up their fresh turkeys and boxes of trimmings – 650 distributions in all – courte

November 20, 2025 | Cassidy McNeely The Urban Farming Institute in Mattapan distributed 650 turkey baskets on Thursday (Nov. 20) as the non-profit helped neighbors get prepared for next week’s Thanksgiving holiday. By 10 a.m., a line of enthusiastic neighbors that started in front of the yellow Fowler-Clark- Epstein Farm building wrapped around the sidewalk along Norfolk Street. It ebbed and flowed throughout the day as 15 volunteers distributed the fresh turkeys and boxes of

Upcoming changes to SNAP benefits can bring a lot of uncertainty, especially when it comes to keeping healthy food on the table. We know how stressful this may feel for many families and individuals in our community and we are here to help! Take a minute and explore the additional resources in your community that may help this transition go a little smoother.  Keeping Up with SNAP The Healthy Incentive Program provides money through the SNAP for members to purchase fruits and

By: Carina Traub | September 26, 2025 How we can convene and connect to grow social impact Kayla Wiggin of The Devonshire Foundation and...

We are pleased to announce the Massachusetts Institute for Community Health Leadership (MICHL) 2025-2026 class, a group of 15 health care...

By: Trinity Hodges | September 19, 2025 This year, Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition (MFFC) is proud to once again participate in the...

By: Seth Daniel, News Editor | August 13, 2025 The lead pack of runners took off from Ryan Playground on Saturday. Seth Daniel photos...

By: Trinity Hodges | August 11, 2025 Photo by Marilyn Humphries On July 26th, 2025 in Mattapan, MA, the Mattapan Food and Fitness...

July 29, 2025 Above: Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition leaders and youth during Mattapan on Wheels bike-a-thon. Photo: Marilyn...

By: Seth Daniel, News Editor | July 30, 2025 A large group of distance riders took off over the Harvest Bridge in Mattapan on Saturday...

The inaugural Mattapan Unity 5K Fete is a dynamic, community-driven 5k designed to bring together residents, local businesses, and city...

By: CalBike Staff | July 7, 2025 This guest post was contributed by Joshua of the National Youth Bike Council. The Youth Bike Summit is...

By: Meghan Volcy | June 26, 2025 As part of reporter Meghan Volcy's three-part series on the intersection of Black history and...

By: Trinity Hodges | June 26, 2025 From May 30th to June 1st, hundreds of youth and young adults participated in the 2025 Youth Bike...

By: Jaclyn Jermyn | June 3, 2025 In 2019, Shavel'le Olivier's4 decided she was going to do something she would never have thought to do...

By: Meghan Volcy | June 3, 2025 Over the weekend, young people and their adult allies from all over the country gathered at Roxbury...

By: Meghan Volcy | June 11, 2025 In the last weekend of May, young people and their adult allies from all over the country came together...