PVGrows launching campaign to boost community investment fund
GREENFIELD — The Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund (PVGrows), a program of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation, is launching “Put Your Money Where Your Fork Is,” its new investor drive that seeks to grow the community investment fund from $2.7 million to $5 million.
The launch event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Mycoterra Farm in South Deerfield, a two-time PVGrows borrower that began as a backyard business and has grown into a diversified farm enterprise. The launch event will serve as a chance to learn about investing in the fund, as well as provide an opportunity to explore Mycoterra Farm, which offers an example of the impact PVGrows has on the local agricultural economy. The event will feature speakers and offer tours of the mushroom farm.
The investor drive’s $5 million goal will ensure the growth and sustainability of PVGrows, allowing PVGrows to finance more businesses like Mycoterra Farm. As tariffs, funding freezes and cuts to federal agriculture programs leave farmers and food entrepreneurs uncertain about their livelihoods and what support they can count on, demand for PVGrows financing continues to outpace the capital the fund has on hand to lend.
“We built this fund so that farmers and food businesses would never have to face a closed door just because their business looked different from what a conventional bank was set up to finance,” Hannah Sobel, program manager of PVGrows, said in a statement. “Growing to $5 million means we can say yes more often, and faster, at exactly the moment our farmers need that kind of reliability the most. PVGrows has grown to be a leader in community-based impact investing, and we are excited to see more community members and institutions realize that they can be a part of that.”
Since 2015, PVGrows has pooled investments from individuals, institutions and foundations, and turned that capital into loans for farm and food businesses across western Massachusetts — many of whom could not secure financing through a conventional bank — to use for equipment, infrastructure and working capital. To date, PVGrows has issued 121 loans totaling $7.6 million to 81 farms and food businesses.
Individuals and institutions who are interested in getting involved can register to attend the Oct. 15 event by visiting pvgrows.net/events. To sign up to receive investor drive updates and invitations to future events and information sessions, visit bit.ly/4xKwPDY.
Will Bike 4 Food raises nearly $259K
Despite rain, 450 cyclists across 59 teams raised $258,904 to help build food security across western Massachusetts during the Sept. 20 Will Bike 4 Food event. Money raised from the 16th annual event supports the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
There’s still time to donate by visiting tinyurl.com/WillBike4FoodDonations.
Office of Problem Gambling Services launches mobile app
BOSTON — The state Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services is expanding recovery supports for people affected by gambling harm, introducing a new mobile app that will be available alongside the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline.
The new mobile app strengthens the state’s recovery continuum by offering a digital space where individuals can connect with others and begin rebuilding healthier habits. Through daily check‑ins, progress tracking and evidence‑based lessons, the app provides tools that help people reduce harm, regain control of their lives and move toward long‑term recovery. The app’s peer support features also create connection for those who may feel isolated or unsure about taking the next step toward treatment.
This new resource is designed for people who may not yet feel ready for clinical services but are seeking a safe, supportive way to start making changes.
“Gambling harm is a public health issue, and it reaches far beyond the person placing the bet,” Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “Meeting people where they are means meeting them on the devices they already carry. Massachusetts has been deliberate about building a response grounded in evidence and in the experience of the people it serves, and this is the next step in that work for the Office of Problem Gambling Services.”
The 24/7 Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline continues to offer assistance in Spanish and additional languages at 800-327-5050. The new mobile tool, Evive, will launch in English and is available to download at no cost on iOS and Android. Additionally, an online chat is available at MAProblemGamblingHelpline.org.
Funders of Local Farmer Awards take farm tour
Sixteen representatives from funders of the Local Farmer Awards, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, recently visited three farms that have benefited from the grant program, giving participants a chance to meet the farmers and learn how Local Farmer Awards are helping them make improvements that strengthen their operations.
“These visits remind us that behind every grant is a farmer who has identified a specific need and is investing in the future of their farm,” Graeme Bazarian, president of Andrew Associates, one of the sponsoring agencies, said in a statement.
The Local Farmer Awards provide grants of up to $2,500 to farms in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties for capital improvements that help with planting, growing, harvesting and processing. Since the program began in 2015, it has supported more than 330 farms and provided more than $2 million in grants.
During the tour, funders visited Just Roots community farm in Greenfield, Reed Farm in Sunderland and Lakeside Organics in Hadley.
At Lakeside Organics, a 2026 Local Farmer Award helped the farm purchase equipment that manages weeds more efficiently. Farm owner and operator Joe Czajkowski said the equipment has been “very effective at killing any kind of weed.”
“The most meaningful part of this program for the partners and funders is seeing what happens after the grant is awarded,” Mark Gold, director of the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation, said in a statement. “Farmers take the support and turn it into something tangible — a piece of equipment, an improved growing system, a more efficient process or another investment that helps their businesses move forward. Bringing our funders to the farms allows them to see that impact for themselves.”
Department of Fire Services launches hot work violation database
STOW — The Department of Fire Services has launched a new, public-facing database to document violations of the State Fire Code and Massachusetts General Laws regarding welding, grinding and other hot work processes.
In June, Gov. Maura Healey signed into law Chapter 114 of the Acts of 2026, “An Act Relative to Violation of Regulation Regarding Hot Work Processes.” The law, which took effect on Sept. 26, is one of several pieces of legislation that arose out of the 2014 fire that claimed the lives of Boston Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy. The blaze started with unpermitted hot work, with sparks or slag igniting a nearby shed and growing to nine alarms. More than a dozen other firefighters were injured.
Performing hot work without a permit, without the necessary training or without complying with the State Fire Code can lead to notices, citations, tickets or other forms of enforcement. In accordance with the new law, the Department of Fire Services now collects information on these violations from local fire departments, notifies property owners and the violators’ insurance providers, and makes the violations public in a searchable database. It was developed with input from the Department of Fire Services’ Code Compliance & Enforcement Unit, the Executive Office of Public Safety & Security, and the Fire Prevention Association of Massachusetts.
The database will be populated in the weeks and months to come as local departments submit their enforcement actions. It can be viewed at mass.gov/info-details/hot-work-requirements, along with other hot work safety information.