Prospect Meadow Farm Carpentry Program Creates Charcuterie Boards with Food Justice Alliance

An individual with a light skin tone and short dark hair smiles while holding a heart-shaped charcuterie board

Participants in the carpentry program created their own designs for their chacuterie boards.

Wooden boards, gritty sandpaper, finishing oils, and lots of creativity and heart are the key ingredients for crafting handmade charcuterie boards at Prospect Meadow Farm’s carpentry program.

The carpentry program launched in 2023 thanks to a $595,000 Social Enterprise Capital Grant through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, which allowed for key renovations to the farm’s Hatfield location. The vocational woodworking program trains individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to learn meaningful woodworking skills, foster community, gain independence, and more.

In February, the carpentry program partnered with the Food Justice Alliance (FJA) at Amherst College to craft 20 handmade charcuterie boards. Each carpenter in the program created their own template and worked on every phase of the project from designing the template to measuring, cutting, sanding, and applying food grade finishes.

A diverse group of people stand in line to fill their plates from a long table with charcuterie boards.

The carpentry program and FJA use the charcuterie boards before watching Ratatouille together.

Nicholas De Pinho, a student leader of the FJA and current employee at Prospect Meadow Farm, played a key role in organizing this collaboration. The woodworkers and FJA then paired up for a charcuterie and movie (Ratatouille) night at Amherst College.

The farm has other community projects in the works, including renovations and upgrades to a goat shed at one of ServiceNet’s mental health recovery homes and building a bookshelf for the Hatfield Library.

Carpentry Instructor Scott Craven leads the program and helps individuals working in ServiceNet’s Vocational Services Program learn new career skills.

A man with a light skin tone and short dark hair smiles as he rubs a finishing oil on a charcuterie board.

A finishing oil gives the charcuterie boards a glossy, final touch.

“The program and the students are building relationships and connections with the larger community around us and able to engage in real word experiences that foster both personal and professional growth,” said Craven. “As a special education teacher and a person with a disability, it’s both humbling and empowering to work alongside the clients and coworkers that I do and be a part of each other’s growth and success each day.”

Craven was also recently awarded ServiceNet’s Empowerment and Support Award, which is given annually to staff who exemplify patience, encouragement, and a strong commitment to empowering others.