SPROUT CITY FARMS INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : i**o@s*************s.o*g
Mission Statement
Sprout City Farms (SCF) is an urban agriculture nonprofit building educational urban farms to engage communities, strengthen neighborhood resiliency, and root farmers in the city. We envision a thriving local food system throughout the Denver metro area supported by a network of accessible city farms that nourish, and are nourished by, their surrounding community. Our farms serve as a platform for education, health, food justice advocacy, ecological stewardship, community wealth building, and neighborhood resiliency. Since 2010, SCF has built: 1) Denver Green School Community Farm, a one-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2011 in partnership with Denver Public Schools; 2) Mountair Park Community Farm, a 1.5-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2014 in partnership with the City of Lakewood; 3) Dahlia Campus Farm, a one-acre organic vegetable farm established in 2016 in partnership with Mental Health Center of Denver (now managed by MHCD!); 4) In Spring 2021, we broke ground at Jack's Solar Garden in Longmont, a 5-acre agrivoltaics site growing produce underneath solar panels. In the coming years, it will become the premiere site of our farmer training programs and will host incubator plots for aspiring farmers! To date, we have produced over 100 tons of fresh food at the three current farm sites! We grow 10-12,000 lbs of food at each farm site annually--55% of which is dedicated to food access programs for low-income households--and reach over 5,000 community members through all of our food production, distribution, and education programs. We manage a diversified community food distribution model at each site that includes: a 70-member CSA program (half of which are no-cost food access shares for households with SNAP/EBT, WIC, and other needs); donation-based farm stands; farm to cafeteria for local schools; and produce donations supporting nearby food pantries. The farms also host educational programs for youth and adults throughout the season, such as internships, apprenticeships, volunteer days, summer farm camp, field trips, tours, workshops/classes, community events, and more. We help teach a high school elective class (currently in 3 Denver area schools) called the Youth Food Leadership and Advocacy Program, where students learn about nutrition and the food system, and get trained up as leaders and advocates for a healthier local food system. Community Advisory Committees at each site help steer the direction of programming so the farms remain a relevant community resource. We love hosting visitors and volunteers so please come by and see us at one of the farms!
About This Cause
OUR STORY: SCF was formed by a group of farmers, researchers, teachers, business leaders, and community members in 2010 to address the growing interest in the Denver metro area in creating urban farms that can scale up production and distribution methods to support large community institutions and whole neighborhoods. It became apparent that an independent nonprofit that could work with many diverse stakeholders was needed to develop a sustainable and replicable model for farming underutilized urban land. OUR GOALS: EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING – increase knowledge of how to grow, prepare, and enjoy local seasonal foods and support the farmers who produce them. FOOD PRODUCTION & ACCESS – produce enough local, healthy and nutritious produce to feed whole neighborhoods surrounding our farm sites, and distribute it equitably in the community. COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS – work with community partners to grow and build resiliency into the local food system. Sprout City Farms believes that a thriving local food system is the foundation for healthy, resilient communities. We strive to ensure food-secure communities by developing and strengthening the local food system, and our work is guided by the following principles: *Create opportunities for residents of our farm communities to have equal access to fresh produce and the knowledge of how to produce it themselves. *Cultivate engaging community spaces where residents of all ages come together to build relationships around food. *Conserve scarce urban lands and/or maximize the potential of underutilized urban land for food production. *Care for the land we farm in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way, focusing on small-scale organic methods that encourage biodiversity, soil building, pollinator protection, and cultural heritage. *Create opportunities for urban farmers to make a living growing food for their communities. *Develop and lead a coalition of urban agriculture organizations to grow the local food movement and form a training pipeline for aspiring farmers and food systems advocates. All of our work is guided by our strong beliefs in justice, equity, and a community-centered approach. CURRENT PROGRAMS: In 2022, our 12th season of operations, we will grow and distribute over 25,000 pounds of healthy, locally-grown fruits and vegetables and serve nearly 5,000 community residents through all of our food production, distribution, and education programs. Denver Green School Community Farm: The DGS Community Farm grows on average 3-5 tons of food per year for a first-of-its-kind, on-site Farm to Cafeteria program, 80-share Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, weekly youth-run farm stand, and produce donations to the School Backpack Program, Food Pantry, and special school events. The Denver Green School is an innovative K-8 neighborhood public school with a 68% Free and Reduced Lunch rate, serving diverse southeast Denver neighborhoods. Student demographics include students from 33 countries, with 25% of the student body learning English as a second language. Students identify as: African American- 24%, Anglo- 32%, Latino- 30%, Asian- 4%, American Indian- 2%, and Other- 8%. Youth Programming: Using the farm as a living laboratory, students at DGS have easy access to hands-on, project-based learning for leading healthy, self-sufficient, sustainable lives, both during school and through an after-school enrichment program. The farm hosts other schools and summer camps for field trips throughout the year, and hopes to expand the Youth Food Leadership and Advocacy Program (currently an elective class for high school students at 3 area high schools taught in partnership with An Ounce of Nutrition). Farm to Cafeteria: The Farm to Cafeteria program provides fresh veggies and herbs grown on school grounds to be prepared and cooked for students, 68% of whom receive Free and Reduced Lunch. We work with the school lunch program to provide produce for the salad bar and cooked meals for about 7 out of the 9 months of the school year, and also support special events like CO Proud School Meal Day, 6th Grade Harvest Festival, and the Family Thanksgiving Lunch. Mountair Park Community Farm: The MAP Community Farm grows on average 4-5 tons of food per year for a 70-share CSA program, farm stand, and produce donations to nearby 11th Avenue Head Start Preschool, Mountair Christian Church Food Pantry, and The Action Center. The USDA has identified Mountair Park as a food desert, with a substantial number of residents having low access to grocery stores. The two elementary schools near the site have Free and Reduced Lunch rates of 97% and 95%. Based on 2015 American Community Survey data, unemployment in the census tract is 10%, and poverty status is 23%. Additionally, over 40% of residents are of Hispanic origin, with many speaking Spanish as their first language. Farm Camp: For the past 6 seasons, the City of Lakewood has organized and implemented two 3-week summer camps at Mountair Park, available for free to all kids in the community. The camp is a half-day during the week and includes breakfast and lunch provided through the Summer Food Service Program. Campers participate in art, farm, and outdoor activities to learn about growing food, cooking and nutrition, and earth science. Dahlia Campus Farm (now managed by site host MHCD): The Dahlia Campus is located in Northeast Park Hill. Over a quarter of the residents are living below the poverty line. It is also been identified as a food desert by the USDA. This neighborhood is, and has historically been, a primarily African American community, currently over 68%. The two elementary schools near the farm have Free and Reduced Lunch rates of 98% and 90%. Partners: The Dahlia Campus incorporates a wide variety of community services and is a collaborative approach to growing and educating community members about food. The Dahlia Campus Farms and Gardens includes a one-acre urban farm, an aquaponics greenhouse, experiential gardens for children, horticultural therapy gardens and a food donation distributor. SCF was thrilled to work with so many partners to bring this amazing project to life including MHCD, Colorado Aquaponics, Children's Farms of America, People's Community Food Project, and Mo' Betta Green Marketplace. In 2018, after 4 years of designing and building the farm site, training the staff, and building up and managing food distribution and education programs, SCF transitioned operations of the Dahlia Campus Farm over to MHCD: they hired on our farm manager and we are proud to say we have set them up for long-term success! Jack's Solar Garden: We are partnering with Jack's Solar Garden in Longmont, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado State University, and the University of Arizona on a 5-acre agrivoltaics site, growing mixed vegetables underneath solar panel arrays: reported to be the largest project of its kind in the United States! Research partners will study production factors and perform variety trials which will help inform our crop planning. SCF will dedicate half of our 3-acre space to incubator plots for farmers in training, giving young and beginning farmers the "training wheels" needed to test out their business plans for a year or two while receiving mentoring and shared resources. Incubator farms have been shown to increase the viability of new farm businesses and we are excited to launch one here on the Front Range! Shared Food Access and Social Sustainability Programs at SCF Community Farms: Community Education: Our community education programming builds practical skills in our communities, enables people to better provide for themselves, and encourages environmental stewardship. Workshops and classes cover a variety of topics related to food production, nutrition and sustainable living in the city. Apprenticeships, Internships, and volunteer opportunities teach folks about the workings of a small-scale sustainable farming operation and provide job training and translatable skills for those entering the workforce. Food Access: To ensure food access for all members of the community, we now allocate half of our harvest to food access programs that support our communities. Our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share program makes half of CSA shares available as Solidarity (free), Work/trade, WIC, and SNAP/EBT shares in addition to traditional paid shares. We accept, and double, purchases of SNAP/EBT customers at our donation-based farm stands. We also donate a portion of produce to local hunger relief programs. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION: All of our programs are built on strong partnerships, and the farm sites were built with host partners and communities that showed readiness and demonstrated need. SCF strives for our farms to truly serve the communities in which they are located. To meet that goal, we are always actively seeking input from people and organizations in the neighborhoods surrounding our community farms. We recognize that each farm and community are different and have assets and resources that contribute to the success of the farms. We work to integrate the farms into the community and we partner and build on existing community initiatives. Each farm has a Community Advisory Committee composed of community residents, CSA shareholders, and community partner organization representatives. Advisory committee members help determine what food and farm programs are most beneficial to their community, as well as how to make the farm a resource for community members. VOLUNTEERS: SCF’s programs would not be possible without the continued support of volunteers. During the growing season, our farms host volunteer days when community members and youth help with preparing the soil, seeding and planting, and general maintenance, while learning valuable skills related to food production. 500 community volunteers, including several large work groups, logged nearly 5,000 volunteer hours in 2019! Please be in touch if you would like to schedule a volunteer event for your team!