Barnstable County Commissioners Focus on Food Security, Climate Resilience, and Hazard Mitigation in Harwich

Published on: July 30, 2026

Commissioners authorize a regional hunger summit, welcome the County’s new epidemiologist, recognize national digital government honors

July 30, 2026 (HARWICH, MA) — The Barnstable County Commissioners met with the Harwich Select Board on Thursday as part of the Commissioners’ ongoing community meeting series, bringing regional government directly into Cape Cod communities. The meeting featured presentations on regional food security initiatives, climate resilience, and hazard mitigation, while County and Harwich leaders discussed water resource protection, housing, emergency preparedness, and opportunities for continued regional collaboration.

County and Harwich Leaders Discuss Regional Priorities

The meeting opened with a discussion between the Barnstable County Commissioners, the Harwich Select Board, and Town Administrator Jay McGrail on issues affecting Harwich and communities across Cape Cod.

Harwich officials highlighted the value of County services, including the Barnstable County Dredge Program, emergency management, regional procurement, information technology, and housing initiatives. The discussion also focused on protecting Cape Cod’s water resources, the impacts of Chapter 40B affordable housing, and the importance of regional advocacy on issues that extend beyond municipal boundaries.

Regional Partners Highlight Growing Food Insecurity Across Cape Cod

The Barnstable County Commissioners convened representatives from healthcare, food pantries, municipalities, faith-based organizations, food producers, and community nonprofits for a regional discussion on the growing challenge of food insecurity across Cape Cod. Led by Andrea Scarpellini, Food Access Coordinator with Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and Michael McGuire, Director of Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, the discussion focused on rising demand for food assistance, the health impacts of food insecurity, and the importance of strengthening regional collaboration to improve long-term food access and resilience.

Scarpellini reported that food insecurity on Cape Cod has increased from approximately 20 percent to 34 percent over the past year, driven by rising housing and utility costs, an aging population, seasonal employment, transportation barriers, and declining federal support for food assistance programs. “Food insecurity is surging at the same time that federal support has dropped dramatically,” Scarpellini said, noting that Cape Cod’s unique challenges require coordinated regional solutions. She also highlighted several county-led initiatives designed to strengthen the regional food system, including food rescue efforts, regional planning projects, shared learning initiatives, and partnerships that improve coordination among organizations serving Cape Cod residents.

Representatives from healthcare providers, municipalities, food pantries, faith-based organizations, the fishing industry, and other community partners then shared the challenges they are seeing across the region. Participants included Leo Blandford of Outer Cape Health Services; Carrie Schoener of the Town of Harwich Health Department; Jeffrey (Jeff) Cornish of The Family Pantry of Cape Cod; Kerin Delaney of the Falmouth Service Center; Lori Rome of Hands of Hope Food Pantry & Outreach Center; Renée Boutier of Canaan SDA Church; Katherine Wibby, Esq. of the Lower Cape Outreach Council; Shareen Davis of the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative; Seth Rolbein of the Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance; Jenny Wheeler of Family Table Collaborative; Michael Gleason of the Cape Cod Veterans Outreach Center; and Fernando Fonseca of Harbor Community Health Center. A letter from Katia Regina DaCunha of Latinx in Action was also read into the record.

During the discussion, speakers described increasing demand for services while emphasizing the need for additional cold storage, warehouse space, food processing capacity, transportation resources, and sustained funding to strengthen the Cape’s regional food system. Leo Blanford of Outer Cape Health underscored that food insecurity is also a public health issue. “Food insecurity doesn’t just walk into our health center and say, ‘I’m hungry,'” Blanford said. “It arrives as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, symptoms of depression, falls among older adults, and increasingly as obesity.” Speakers also emphasized the importance of expanding access to healthy, locally produced food while reducing food waste through greater regional coordination.

Recognizing the need for continued regional collaboration, the Barnstable County Commissioners voted to authorize County Administrator Michael Dutton and staff to organize a regional hunger summit this fall. The summit will bring together local and county government, healthcare providers, food pantries, food producers, and community organizations to develop a coordinated action plan and recommendations to strengthen food security across Cape Cod.

Cape Cod Commission Highlights Regional Climate Resilience Efforts

Kristy Senatori, Executive Director of the Cape Cod Commission, highlighted the Commission’s ongoing work to help Cape Cod communities prepare for flooding, severe storms, sea level rise, and other climate-related hazards through regional planning, technical assistance, and partnerships.

Among the initiatives discussed was the Low-Lying Roads Assessment, which evaluated 54 miles of vulnerable roadways across all 15 Cape Cod communities and identified priority improvements to strengthen transportation resilience. Senatori also outlined regional disaster resiliency planning efforts designed to identify vulnerable infrastructure, prioritize investments, and improve the region’s ability to prepare for future hazards.

The Barnstable County Commissioners also approved a $445,454 grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to support regionally coordinated climate resilience planning with Cape municipalities and Tribal governments through June 2028.

Harwich’s FEMA-Certified Hazard Mitigation Plan Advances Local Preparedness

Building on the regional overview, Martha Hevenor, Planner II with the Cape Cod Commission, presented Harwich’s newly FEMA-certified Hazard Mitigation Plan, illustrating how regional planning is translated into local action. The Cape Cod Commission provided technical assistance to the Town of Harwich in preparing its plan.

County Health Department Welcomes New Epidemiologist

Barnstable County Health Director Jay Gardiner and Deputy Director Randy Kolstad introduced the department’s new epidemiologist, Cassidy O’Hara, a Cape Cod native and former epidemiologist for the City of Taunton. O’Hara will lead the department’s efforts to strengthen data analysis and reporting to better identify health trends and support evidence-based public health decision-making. Gardiner said bringing epidemiology in-house will enhance the department’s ability to monitor the social determinants of health—including housing, food access, transportation, education, and economic conditions—and provide data-driven insights to guide public health programs and regional planning.

County Recognized for Digital Government Innovation

The Commissioners also recognized Barnstable County’s recent national recognition in the 2026 Digital Counties Survey, in which the County ranked third in the nation among counties with populations between 150,000 and 249,999 for excellence in digital government. Commissioners congratulated the Information Technology Department and Communications Team for their collaborative efforts to improve the County’s website and digital services, noting the importance of providing residents with accessible, user-friendly information and online services.

Watch the Meeting Replay

Residents can watch today’s meeting on the County’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/@BarnstableCountyVideo

About Barnstable County: Barnstable County provides regional services, programs, and leadership to the fifteen towns of Cape Cod. Through collaboration and innovation, the County works to address shared challenges and improve the quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors across the region. Learn more at  www.capecod.gov.

Media Contact: Sonja Sheasley, Communications Manager (508) 375-6896 | [email protected]

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