ABOUT WE GROW NES
We Grow Near East Side is an initiative aimed to provide small business and nutrition opportunities to the community. We Grow helps citizens of the Near East Side (NES) grow food for their community by sponsoring, teaching, and advising amateur growers from seed to market. Our goal is to create a fair and sustainable food system within the NES where nutritious food is readily available and fairly priced. We believe by joining together to build relationships with our food, we can help the Near East Side gain food sovereignty and lift up a healthier community.
Our Partners
The Bronzeville Growers Market: The cornerstone.
The Bronzeville Growers Market begins it’s sixth season of hosting a weekly farmers market in the heart of the NES. As we educate growers of all levels on urban agriculture, BGA provides a place for our growers to sell goods, and fosters a welcoming cultural environment for individuals, organizations, and growers to connect over sustainable food practices in a genuine way.
Growing and Growth Collective: The foundation.
GGC coordinates a number of community gardens across the NES, and works to inspire everyday people to put their hands in the soil. They firmly believe a connection to the soil is healthy for every person, so they provide free garden plots, activities to connect people back to nature, and advocacy for food and growing for all.
Maroon Arts Group: The culture curators.
MAG commits itself to the artistic rendering of the Near East Side. This includes local artists via paintings, music, sculptures, and performance arts, but it goes further. MAG embodies the idea of finding art within every activity, especially uplifting your neighbors. MAG hosts community activities and events for the sake of education, art exploration, and community connectivity.
Broad Street Presbyterian Church: The hub of activity.
BSPC houses a food pantry which is a major force in feeding the community and a major advocate for food security. BSPC also hosts a learning garden, and will be hosting a farmer’s market in the Fall of 2023. In addition to the pantry and garden, they provide event space for community meetings and organizations, host art installations from local artists and hold regular church services with a heart for community connectivity.
Partners for Achieving Community Transformation: The planners
PACT is dedicated to revitalizing the NES community. PACT is the administrative and logistical lead for We Grow NES. As a convener, PACT helped bring together the We Grow partners and continues to assist with coordinating the initiative.
Osteopathic Heritage Foundation: The initial seed.
We are grateful for funding for We Grow from OHF. They seek to fund transformational community projects, drawing data to drive research. It is thanks to OHF recognizing urban agriculture at scale as healthy and beneficial to the community that We Grow can put its best foot forward.
