What We Do Educating Our Community

Club Sprouts

Although food is a common topic in early childhood education, curriculum tends to focus on what to eat rather than teaching children basic factual information about where food comes from.

Green City Market’s youth programming, Club Sprouts, teaches children about how farmers grow the food they eat. From sustainability to seasonality, children enjoy engaging activities and seasonal tastings with the goal of building a love of local, sustainable food early in life.

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Farm to Market Field Trips

A deep understanding of who grows one’s food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters is central to ensuring children develop the ability to make informed decisions about how to nourish themselves for a lifetime.  

According to a 2020 study by GENYOUth, a national nonprofit dedicated to creating healthier school communities in the United States, 40% of teens aged 13-17 say they have little to no knowledge on where their food comes from, and yet 84% said they would like to learn about the topic from someone who works in agriculture. 

Simply put, children do not know how food makes it from the land into their hand and they’re hungry to learn more. 

Green City Market’s Farm to Market Field trip program addresses this knowledge gap through interactive, experiential learning in our 5,000 square foot urban garden called The Edible Garden. These gardens are funded and coordinated by Green City Market in partnership with Lincoln Park Zoo. The gardens are planted and maintained by The Organic Gardener Ltd. using organic and sustainable methods. Produce grown in the Edible Gardens is donated to those in need to expand access to locally-grown food throughout Chicago.

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sustainable supper series

The Sustainable Supper Series is a lineup of local food focused dining experiences that connect community members with local farmers and restaurant professionals in order to deepen support for sustainable farming and bolster the next generation of farmers in the Midwest. GCM believes it is crucial to foster community around sustainable food, and encourage a learning environment for people of any age to engage with the local food system. 

Each supper features a panel of local food system experts discussing topics such as “what is local food, really?” and the importance of nonprofit urban farming. Previous panelists included Hayden Holbert from Avrom Farms, Heidi Moorman Coudal from Big Delicious Planet, Stephanie Dunn from Star Farms, and Janelle St. John from Growing Home. 

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Plant seeds of change 

Green City Market is a 501c3 nonprofit that depends on the support of folks like you to run our educational programs, teaching Chicagoans of all ages the impact food has on our city and our planet, from the kitchen to the compost bin.

"Our family has been a patron of Green City Market for a nearly a decade. I really appreciate the team finding creative ways to engage children during the pandemic."

With your support, we can create a more local, more sustainable, more accessible food system together. Give today and join our community of donors committed to the advancement of sustainable food system education in Chicago. 

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