bloomingdale: Common Good City Farm has reached one-third of its goal of raising $30,000 by 10-13-2019 - "Help us grow by contributing to our Grow the Future campaign"

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Common Good City Farm has reached one-third of its goal of raising $30,000 by 10-13-2019 - "Help us grow by contributing to our Grow the Future campaign"

See this 19-13-2019 message from Common Good City Farm:

We are over 1/3 of the way to our goal of raising $30,000 by October 13th. Help us get there today by contributing to our Grow the Future campaign. Still searching for inspiration? Read about our fabulous summer youth employees below.

At Common Good City Farm’s “tomato party” in late July, neighbors from nearby blocks wandered between the garden beds and sampled fresh pizza, salsa and other tasty treats incorporating one of the farm’s most prevalent summertime fruits. The visitors’ tour guides through the trees, vines and beehives were Fatima and Scotty, two of the interns in the farm’s Summer Youth Program.

This six-week paid program teaches the interns useful life and professional skills as they learn how a farm is run. A day at work could include everything from picking peaches and weeding garden beds to selling produce at the weekly farm stand to helping with community events like the tomato party.

Fatima, 17, says she’s learned a lot about plants through the program, and now feels like she could look around her and throw together a meal, instead of “just having to go to the store.” She also enjoyed building other skills this summer; when the interns helped construct a wheelchair ramp at one of the farm entrances, Joe, a professional carpenter and farm volunteer, taught them how to correctly measure the boards — and how to use power tools.

This is the second summer that Scotty, 16, has worked at Common Good. While he hates weeding, Scotty likes learning about — and eating — plants he’s never tried before, such as callalou, a spinach-like green originally from West Africa that is popular in Caribbean cooking. He also likes working at the farm stand. “It’s fun to see people buy the things you just picked,” he says.

As both interns are now beginning their senior years of high school, they are already thinking ahead to their next jobs. Scotty says the experience being a cashier at the farm market is a skill he thinks will help him with future employment prospects.

Next summer Scotty and Fatima will be off on new adventures, and Common Good will depend on a new crop of interns to help the farm keep up with the busiest harvesting months. Check out the photo essay below to get a glimpse at the Summer Youth Program.

Keep the Summer Youth Program Going!

Are you a supporter or volunteer and ready to take your commitment to the organization to the next level? Consider applying to join our Board of Directors. The BoD helps manage the organization's finances, mission, and strategic plan. If this sounds interesting to you, you can get more information by visiting our information pag e, and applying through our interest form.