Chicago Botanic Garden Fall 2020

chicagobotanic.org 11 Food: As the coro- navirus crisis deep- ened, and its im- pacts were felt disproportionately by residents of c o m m u n i t i e s where the farms are located, Windy City Harvest quickly reorga- nized its distribu- tion model to sup- port emergency and ongoing food needs and adjusted crop plans to focus solely on produce in high demand. More than 2,000 pounds of produce were donated to partner and social service organizations serving the most vulnerable, including food pantries in the East Garfield Park and Pilsen neighborhoods of Chicago that work in concert with the Greater Chi- cago Food Depository. Health: Windy City Harvest’s flagship, the Farm on Ogden, also had critical staff on-site. The Farm is a joint project between the Garden and Lawndale Christian Health Center in the Lawn- dale neighborhood of Chicago. Follow- ing state mandates, the Farm temporar- ily shut its doors to the public but operations did not stop. The Farm’s aquaponics indoor farming system still produced its usual 2,500 heads of let- tuce a week, along with other crops. In May, following strict health and safety guidelines, the Farm reopened its in- door market. “We heard from so many people in the community who told us that they are happy we opened back up so they can shop here again,” said Rosario Maldona- do, a Windy City Harvest sales manager. As state restrictions eased, the VeggieRx program continued to provide bags of produce to patients at risk for diet-re- lated disease who have also experienced food insecurity; the staff put together 100 bags of free vegetables each week for delivery or pick-up. By June, that number had increased to about 175 bags a week. Jobs training: Mentorship and train- ing continued with the Corps, the transitional job programming for jus- tice-involved individuals; and Appren- ticeship, which offers hands-on techni- cal training in sustainable urban agriculture. Program participants met for on-site and virtual work and were essential in keeping the farms going at a time when the staff was stretched thin. Windy City Harvest continues to learn and move forward as the pandemic evolves. “COVID-19 was eye-opening for many,” Mason said, “showing first- hand the broken food system and the degree of disinvestment in Black and Brown communities.” Learn more chicagobotanic.org/urbanagriculture Urban farms and Windy City Harvest This spring, as the global pandemic turned the world upside down, Windy City Harvest, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s education and jobs-training program, redoubled its efforts to bring food, health, and jobs training to local communities. Even in the early days of the shutdown, critical on-site staff managed 17 urban farms, continuing to grow and harvest carrots, spinach, arugula, and other crops. “I am grateful to our amazing team for coming together in a way that was re- ally positive and helped to fulfill critical needs. We truly demonstrated the mis- sion of the Chicago Botanic Garden— we cultivate the power of plants to sus- tain and enrich life,” said Angie Mason, associate vice president and senior director of Windy City Harvest. Continued on page 12