Community Supported Agriculture
We are proud to purchase our produce from local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms. The CSA model allows consumers to purchase fresh produce directly from local farms. Consumers buy a “share” of produce before the growing season. In return they receive a distribution of produce each week throughout the farming season.
The CSA model is mutually beneficial for consumers and farmers alike. Consumers benefit from accessing nutritional produce, supporting local farms, and reducing their carbon footprint. Farmers benefit from receiving payments earlier in the year, marketing produce before the growing season, and developing relationships with new, highly-motivated consumers.
What is our model?
1
Our model allows us to purchase Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares of fruit and vegetables from local farms near the communities we serve.
2
By utilizing existing distribution networks and pick-up locations, we connect food deserts and other in-need communities to fresh, local produce.
3
We provide the educational resources to manage and prepare healthy meals from home through partnerships with community-based organizations.
What do our families recieve?
Where is our produce sourced?
Who are our partners?
Who were our 2023 Cook County families?
Who were our 2023 DuPage County families?
More on our partners farms
The Urban Canopy - Chicago, IL
Starting in 2023, we were thrilled to partner with The Urban Canopy, a small farm on the Southside of Chicago headquartered in Pilsen. In addition to growing seasonal produce from its Englewood farm, The Urban Canopy collaborates with a network of local farms and food partners to connect its members to a variety of produce, including fruits, vegetables, eggs, and more via a Local Unified Community Supported Agriculture (LUCSA) program.
We purchase produce from The Urban Canopy and utilize its expansive distribution capabilities to serve in-need Chicago families on the south, west, and southwest sides of town.
The Urban Canopy is pioneering the local food cycle to create a more sustainable and equitable food system in Chicago. It strives to make healthy produce accessible to all, reduce the miles fresh food travels, keep food waste out of landfills, and create and maintain local jobs.
Green Earth Harvest - Naperville, IL
Our long term vision is to create a network of farms working together to serve food desert communities. We are proud to have The Conservation Foundation’s Green Earth Harvest of Naperville, Illinois as our first farm partner. Green Earth Harvest is an all-organic farming operation that provides healthy, organic vegetables to the community through sales of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) “shares.”
Our partnership with Green Earth Harvest allows us to:
Distribute Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares of vegetables to our families throughout the growing seasons
Provide our participants with family-friendly recipes that incorporate fresh produce, as well as preparation and storage resources
Allow our families to connect with local farmers and understand the importance of eating organic produce
More on our partner organizations
Center for Food Equity in Medicine - Chicago, IL
Starting in 2023, we began partnering with the Center for Food Equity in Medicine, an organization committed to raising awareness and meeting the nutritional needs for people living with chronic health conditions.
Many of these families live with chronic health conditions that require a strict diet of healthy foods: breast cancer, multiple myeloma, sickle cell anemia, chronic kidney disease, and cardiac disease.
These families live in neighborhoods located on the South and West sides of downtown Chicago: Lower West Side, Chicago Lawn, Beverly, Melrose Park, and West Pullman.
Bridge Communities - Glen Ellyn, IL
Our program started local, close to the hometown of our founders, with the vision of expanding across the state and nation. We are excited to continue our partnership with Bridge Communities of Glen Ellyn, Illinois to help serve families in the Chicagoland area. Bridge provides free transitional housing to more than 100 DuPage County families experiencing homelessness each year. Families are provided with mentors, learn budgeting skills, and participate in a wide variety of programs such as employment enhancement workshops so they progress towards living self-sufficiently.
Our partnership with Bridge allows us to:
Serve families living in the Chicagoland area who desire to create long-term lifestyle and dietary change
Offer educational resources on cleaning, chopping, and storing the fresh vegetables that participants receive
Measure program success through frequent check-ins, updates from the client team, and survey feedback
Instill accountability and independence in fostering lifestyle, dietary, and wellness choices for family members
The Pilsen Food Pantry - Chicago, IL
We are excited to continue working with the Pilsen Food Pantry next year, specifically through finding families with chronic diseases or costly health outcomes who are also experiencing food insecurity in Chicago’s south, west, and southwest sides of town.
The Pilsen Food Pantry aims to improve health and social outcomes through the distribution of fresh, culturally-appropriate foods, via sponsorship of community events, and by organizing seasonal clothing and supply drives.
Prior to COVID, the pantry helped 160-180 families weekly; now it averages 360 households. Each week, the Pantry distributes over 24,000 pounds of food to families in need, plus more than 2,000 pounds of food/supplies to fellow mutual aid organizations and street medicine groups.
