Warren-Sharpe Community Center is a nonprofit, community-based, United Way partner organization offering social service programs and assistance to low-income, high-risk families on Joliet’s south and east sides since 1991. The Center has a special commitment to serving youth, and creates a safe, nurturing place for children and teens in the heart of a troubled neighborhood.
In addition to educational and recreational programs, our food pantry provides food to 600-800 families every month, and our kitchen serves 200-300 hot meals every week. Determined to go beyond emergency food relief, and work toward food security, we launched the South Side Urban Farm in 2014 in order to:
This is what happened on the Farm in 2014:
Sowing it Forward in 2015:
In addition to educational and recreational programs, our food pantry provides food to 600-800 families every month, and our kitchen serves 200-300 hot meals every week. Determined to go beyond emergency food relief, and work toward food security, we launched the South Side Urban Farm in 2014 in order to:
- Bring multi-generational neighbors together;
- Support healthier food choices and increased physical activity;
- Provide workshops in healthy cooking and clean eating;
- Provide training to parents about the connections between healthy food choices, cognitive development, and long-term health issues;
- Use our outdoor classroom to teach our kids about plant life, science concepts and environmental stewardship
- Find avenues to reconnect our “plugged in” children to the earth
- Beautify the neighborhood; and
- Support and facilitate youth entrepreneurship by marketing surplus production.
This is what happened on the Farm in 2014:
- Summer camp and After-School classes (grades K-8) harvested lettuce (Bibb, Romaine, Red Leaf, Frisee), cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs on a daily basis, and participated in healthy cooking activities.
- Students seeded, tended and harvested approximately 40 pounds of microgreens.
- Students utilized outdoor classroom for science learning activities.
- Approximately 125 pounds of herbs, cabbage, peas, beans, squash, tomatoes, collard greens and peppers were harvested and distributed to families in Center programs and in food pantry.
Sowing it Forward in 2015:
- The City of Joliet has donated two additional lots located behind the Center (451-455 S. Ottawa Street) for expansion of microgreen and baby greens production. The space supports a 10’ x 20’ cold frame hoop house, using high tunnel technology and solar power to extend our growing season.
- The additional lots are being used to: cultivate native Illinois plants and fruit trees; to support and facilitate youth entrepreneurship; and to expand our outdoor classroom experiences.
- The original lot on Joliet Street expanded production in 2015, with the number of raised beds being increased from 14 to 28.