Chicago urban farm Growing Home helps with sustainability effort at DNC, sees continued benefit
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Democratic National Convention has moved on, but a number of local organizations are still benefiting from the big event in Chicago.
With sustainability a priority for this year's convention, one of those local organizations and partners was an urban farm—Growing Home in Englewood. CBS News Chicago is told the urban farm's involvement in the convention will make for a long-term impact.
From February to November, Growing Home operates a fully functioning 1.75-acre farm along Wood Street near the old Norfolk Southern Railroad elevated railway trucks, just north of 59th Street. You name it, Growing Home is growing it—eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, onions, garlic.
"Of course, Englewood is a food insecure neighborhood," said Growing Home Farms and Program Manager Ezra Lee. "We distribute through our farmers market here. Green City Market, and also through wholesale partnerships."
Lee said Growing Home does more than provide fresh food for a neighborhood without access. He said the farm is a workforce development center.
"A lot of people who come through program—they're facing what we call barriers to employment," Lee said, "and so that might be a record of incarceration. It might be facing previous addiction."
At the DNC last week, Growing Home was brought in as part of the convention's sustainability effort. Leaders of the urban farm were able to connect with those in town for the convention and locals already signing up to volunteer.
"People are coming together to share ideas," Lee said. "They get a sense of what they can do."
A Democratic National Committee spokesperson said the convention ultimately rescued and donated 9,872 pounds of food, served 8,227 meals from donated food, saved more than 2.3 million gallons of water.
The meals were donated through Chicago nonprofits, including New Life Covenant, Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Dunamis Life Church, Hope Church Pilsen, Covenant House, Calmeca Academy, Bethel Temple, Howard Brown Health, Thresholds South, Franciscan Outreach, Rebano, and Circle Foundation/Benton House. Levy Restaurants was among the partners in the effort.
Meanwhile, Growing Home also benefited from the DNC's carbon offset and inset program. The DNC said it diverted more than 30,000 pounds of carbon dioxide away from landfills.
"The carbon offset initiative was set up to hopefully offset some of the carbon costs," Lee said. "The DNC brings in people nationally—some even internationally—to the city, so the focus was to bring a certain green element to it by offering the option to donate to offset your carbon cost to a green project in Chicago."
The DNC said its goal had been to hold the most sustainable event Democratic Convention history. Sustainability advisors Stephanie Katsaros of Bright Beaet and Marley Finnegan of PURPOSE were brought on to implement strategies to mitigate emissions, prevent waste, reuse materials, and rescue surplus food. Composting was also part of the DNC for the first time.
No final number has been released on donations received by Growing Home connected to the DNC, but hundreds of dollars were raised at the convention last week—and the organization says donations are still being made through the carbon inset program.
"We see the support. We feel the support," Lee said. "But also it goes towards getting our produce out. It goes towards getting the produce into the houses of folks who live here."
On Sunday, Sept. 8, Growing Home is holding its third annual Chicago Ag Crawl fundraiser. Growing Home also recently received a grant of $5 million from the City of Chicago to expand its campus.