Worcester Regional Food Hub to Open State-of-the-Art Facility at Union Station, Supporting Local Food Entrepreneurs and Farmers

Worcester Food Hub opens new Union Station facility with kitchens, warehouse, and distribution center to support local farmers and food businesses.

By Hank Stolz | Radio Worcester

(Photo-Adobe Stock)

WORCESTER, Mass.-The Worcester Regional Food Hub is opening a new state-of-the-art facility at Union Station in Worcester, with a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for Friday, May 23rd at noon. Shon Rainford tells Talk of the Commonwealth that the new facility includes five separate commercial kitchens that can be rented by local food entrepreneurs, each with their own sinks, prep areas, and equipment. The food hub also has a warehouse and distribution center that will allow local farmers and food producers to store, package, and ship their products to schools, hospitals, colleges, and other customers. The food hub has partnerships with various organizations in the region, including public schools, the UMass hospital system, local colleges, and the Regional Environmental Council, to distribute locally-sourced food. The location at Union Station is expected to help activate the station and surrounding area, which has seen increased activity in recent years with the addition of new restaurants and other businesses. Rainford tells us the space was underutilized. “It was kind of the former baggage area for the trains decades ago, and most recently it was where the city stored their Christmas lights and just random things.”

This article was sourced from a transcript of a recent interview conducted by Hank Stolz on the Radio Worcester program Talk of the Commonwealth.