Stories

Cozinha Gourmet was established by Rita Assunção, a native of Minas Gerais, Brazil, who inherited her culinary legacy from her grandmother. Upon relocating to the United States, Rita asked a question: how could she express her gratitude to the mothers…

A manufactured housing community, Bonnie’s Place, Missoula Montana “In my hometown of Missoula, the home where I lived for 30 years and where I’d raised my family, this manufactured housing community, was getting ready to be sold,” Brian Lease, board…

Dave Dumaresq grew up on Marsh Hill in Dracut, Massachusetts. At an early age, he began working on the Brox Farm in Dracut, learning the intricacies of New England farming from John Brox who had been tilling that land since…

Fresh Food Generation (FFG) is a restaurant and caterer based in Dorchester, MA which grew from its popular food truck. FFG offers a fresh, healthy take on familiar Caribbean-American recipes. (Co-founded by Jackson Renshaw and Cassandria Campbell) In 2021 Massachusetts…

Bay State Banner Gives Voice to the Black Community LEAF is proud to support the Bay State Banner. The Bay State Banner has been a Black-owned newspaper since its founding in 1965. The Bay State Banner has been a leader…

Placerville Natural Food Cooperative (PNFC), Placerville, CA, is a town of about 10,000 residents on highway 50 between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, about 50 minutes from Sacramento. In 2011 the locals who shopped at the failing natural foods store wanted…

Earlier this year, we asked our clients to share their successes over the past year. We are proud of the work our borrowers do to help their neighborhoods flourish. Here are a few stories we received from them in their…

ImpactAssets’ Twelfth IA 50 Impact Fund List Showcases 163 Fund Managers and $122 Billion in Assets Under Management The 2023 edition of IA 50 features a record number of private impact fund managers delivering social and environmental impact as well…

Comfort Kitchen opened its doors on January 25th, 2023 and is located in the heart of Upham’s Corner’s commercial center, just a 5-minute walk from its MBTA commuter rail station. The concept for Comfort Kitchen was formed in 2019, as…

Since 1984, Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) has been making strides to create thriving, affordable communities in Boston’s Roxbury and Dorchester neighborhoods through its community land trust.  Unique in its breadth of urban land under neighborhood stewardship, the nonprofit has…

exc-63b46959df96ab121f998f8c Affectionately called “The Merc” by locals, The Merc Co-op has been providing Lawrence, Kansas with fresh, healthy, and affordable food since 1974. This food cooperative started off as a volunteer-run buying club for natural food before the members opened…

New Leaf Market has been serving the central Tallahassee community since 1974. Since 1989, the store had been operating from its current location, offering a range of fresh and locally sourced foods. The grocery store’s growth prompted it to expand…