FreeBee is hosting food-only bread and produce tables every Saturday during the FreeBee season (from May 20 - Oct 21).  Additional 'full market' events will include crafts, books, plants and community info - roughly once a month.

We've recruited a new team of volunteers (add your name here if you'd like to help one week) to set-up tables and a canopy in our normal location (30 Middle Road, Boxborough) so that anyone can drop by between 10:30am - 12pm to 'Take and/or Leave a Veggie'. We also tend to have donations from some of our regular supporting orgs, including bread from Nashoba Brook / Slow Rise and produce from the Boston Area Gleaners. 

We hope you add dropping by the FreeBee Pop Up to your weekly Saturday routine, and please keep the following in mind: 

• Drop off share-able items anytime from 10:30 - 11:30 am

• Take only what you will eat, save, or share with your neighbors - we hope to avoid waste!

• Bring your own bags to carry home your items

• Be considerate and do not leave a mess

• All are Welcome. Everything is FREE.

• And you do NOT have to bring something to take something!

 FreeBee will be hosting full markets on May 20, Sep 9 and Oct 21*, from 10:30am - 12pm.

The full markets will include the same offerings as the pop-up markets, but with even more exciting features! These will vary from market to market, but examples from past markets include:

• Expanded food offerings, including frozen meat and prepared foods

• Crafts and art supplies

• Books for all ages

• Build your own bouquet, with fresh local flowers

• Plants and seedlings

• Live music

• Rotating booths, featuring local community organizations

• Halloween costumes

*Additional Full Market dates may be added in the coming weeks, but not more often than once / month from May-Oct.

Absolutely not! The FreeBee Network and Market is a collaborative partnership between individual volunteers throughout the extended Acton-Boxborough community, as well as organizations including the UCC Boxborough, the AB United Way, the AB Community Supper & Pantry, and the Boxborough Well-Being Committee, among others. 

We have also received generous support in the form of plant donations from nearby farms in Acton (Daisy Hill Farm), Littleton (SpringDell Farms), Harvard (Westward Orchards), Stow (Applefield Farms) and Westford (Fresh Start Food Gardens, Farmer Dave's), and we welcome participation from other local farmers and growers.  Last year, we expanded our connection with Acton-based Boston Area Gleaners, with whom we managed to rescue and re-distribute over 10,000 pounds of food, valued almost $20,000!

We are happy to stress that ALL are welcome - from any community, near or far. 

We are focused on cultivating a sense of community, providing an opportunity for locals to gather, to connect, to learn about opportunities and resources. The Market's focus on sharing free food is in part to combat local food insecurity, and also to promote sustainability by reducing food waste as we share excess from our gardens and stores to households who will consume those materials and keep them out of landfills.

You should come to the FreeBee Market because it offers opportunities to:

#CelebrateCommunity = drop by and see neighbors in person

#Sustainability = reduce food waste

#FreeFood = fruit, veggies, prepared dishes, baked goods, eggs, frozen meat

#BackToSchool = claim or donate art/craft/school/party supplies

#BeeConnected = info tables by local committees and groups

#SharingBounty = donate free garden produce & baked treats

#AgriculturalHeritage = receive free plants & learn to grow them

#BuyNothing = bring 0-5 books, take home all you can read

#SupportOutreach = visit with a guest organization offering an outreach opportunity

In other words, our greatest wish is to send the message that these events are not designed to be for "people in need", but rather just for people, period. 

Currently, the bulk of the produce and prepared food items are donated to the Market from Roche Bros in Acton, via the 'Glean Team', who are volunteers that collect and distribute non-expired, ready-to-eat items to various organizations in the extended community. We also have a weekly invitation to collect end-of-day bread from Nashoba Brook Bakery in West Concord, and receive batches of excess frozen meat from Shaw's in Stow on a roughly monthly basis. 

Other donations are received from a networked individual who collects at-risk-of-spoiling food from various organizations and re-distributes them to groups who can share the food before it expires. Because our events are held on Saturdays, FreeBee can serve as a distribution venue when other organizations are closed, allowing us to rescue edible food that they have received and would otherwise spoil before their next opening hours. Most importantly, as the local growing season continues, we hope that a greater proportion of our food will come from neighbors' gardens and nearby farms, such as Westward Orchards, who have been consistent supporters in 2021. 

Many farms connect with the Boston Area Gleaners, as well - and we often receive boxes of excess farm produce from BAG, who recently bought and also operate the Acton location that was formerly Stonefield Farm. In 2022 we partnered with an expanding number of nearby growers, including Daisy Hill Farm in Acton,  SpringDell Farms, in Littleton, and Applefield Farms, in Stow. We are grateful to be able to rescue excess produce that would otherwise risk entering the waste stream and instead reaching tables to be consumed by anyone who can use it. 

Market goers are encouraged to bring any sorts of produce from their yards, eggs, honey, and other home-produced items. Any baked goods are welcome, but must be marked with a list of ingredients, and securely packaged. Pantry (non-perishable) food items are also welcome, but must be unexpired.

We are also focusing on the growing of food and plants, and the sharing of seeds, seedlings, transplanted plants. Thus, all of these items are welcome, along with donations of cut flowers, pots, and other garden implements. 

Future events may welcome the sharing of other items, including clothing, toys, housewares, etc. For the time being, we are not in a position to encourage donations of these items.

That said, we have opened FreeBee to a book 'swap' - not a swap in its true sense, since you do NOT have to bring a book to go home with a new one. We do request that visitors bring a maximum of 5 books, as we don't have storage capacity to store a large volume between Markets, but we encourage you to TAKE home as many books as you care to enjoy.  If you have a large volume of books to donate, you might consider Valley Wild Books in Littleton, or the local libraries will soon be collecting donations for their fall book sales. Craft material / art supplies are also welcome at every Full Market day (May 20, Sep 9, Oct 21)

The FreeBee Network team has worked hard to design the Market events to be streamlined and easy to host. Each event will include two 'captains' who can direct new volunteers in the defined tasks that are necessary to bring the Market to life. 

Shifts can be as short as 30 minutes, or join us for the entire event 2 hour event plus set-up / clean-up. The FreeBee markets are a great option for 'group' volunteering, too - join us as a family, or a group of co-workers / friends. We have a growing pool of Youth volunteers (5th grade and up) who pitch in wherever they are needed, and who are exploring ways to bring their own generation's voices and needs to our network and events.

We can also use volunteers *between* market dates, to reach out to new Network partners who may be able to use our events to reduce the materials they send to a waste stream, and also to help spread the word about upcoming events!

You can reach out to volunteer at any event, or between events to help spread the word about our organization. Email us at freebeecommunity@gmail.com or fill out this short survey for 2023 Volunteers. 

While we would MUCH rather see your faces and have you join us in person during a market, we recognize that Saturday mornings can be a challenging window in the midst of chores, errands, and extracurricular event schedules. 

We are still determining how best to accept produce, pantry items, and plants outside of Market hours, but we have a few volunteers who can receive items ahead of time. Please feel free to email freebeecommunity@gmail.com or reach out via Facebook or Instagram message @freebeecommunity for address options for advance drop-offs. 

At present, we are not seeking to accept financial contributions. In keeping with our focus on sustainability, we aim to source any physical items we need from the community, rather than purchasing new materials - wherever possible. We do host guests who share information about their organization, and these guests may offer to accept donations of physical items or funds.  We would also like to thank Boxborough's Kristin Hillberg, who donated time and funds to purchase our 'flag' signs used on Market days. 

The primary, underlying principle of the FreeBee Market is that it does not expect or require any contribution - financial or physical donation - from any attendee. Just come, and see what you find.

If you feel strongly about supporting our overall goals, you might consider monetary donations to the Acton-Boxborough Food Pantry, or the Boston Area Gleaners - who recently moved to Acton.

As of today, we have access to sufficient borrowed canopies that we plan to hold the events 'rain or shine' - with the exception of any high risk of thunderstorms, in which case we will cancel the Market. Any collected food will be donated to local facilities, or frozen / preserved for a future event.

We are happy to consider inviting guests from any local organization or community resource. Please email us freebeecommunity@gmail.com to share details on your group, and to learn more about opportunities to host a free event table at a Market event. 

At this time, our philosophy is focused on maintaining the Market as a 100% free event. That said, we are excited to welcome local small businesses, and to offer them an opportunity to connect with members of our community. Please reach out if you are a small business owner and would be interested in hosting an information table at a future event, in the absence of offering items for sale.

Our motto is 'no one goes home empty-handed', and in our limited experience to date, we have succeeded in sending all of the perishable donations home with Market attendees. 

In future, we aim to coordinate with nearby resources including the AB Community Supper & Pantry, and Open Table in Maynard. In addition, a recent 'Little Free Pantry' has been installed at the site of the Market, hosted by UCC Boxborough and the Boxborough Well-Being Committee, and non-expired, non-perishable items that are not claimed during the Market can also find a home here. 

A limited quantity of donated perishable produce is consistently set aside due to its reduced condition below a threshold suitable for human consumption. However, this material is happily received by neighbors to serve as animal feed. We are excited to contribute to this avenue to reduce landfill waste, all while supporting local agriculture. 

We are delighted to extend our network of neighbors raising animals. Please reach out to freebeecommunity@gmail.com, and remember that we love to give away eggs and other local products any time you have an excess to share!