Grow-Op is supports capacity building growing initiatives with marketing and fundraising. Our mission is to increase the growing capacity of community gardens + vacant lot farmers in lower income communities. Through our work we aim to connect people with local food projects in their neighborhood. Currently, we are incubating a worker-owned farm, OTIS Fresh in Back of the Yards. We are seeking donations for the 2023 season to cover water access for the season and the costs of our weekly food distribution program in collaboration with Let Us Breathe's #EverybodyEats program.

We started in 2015 by facilitating youth garden education programming with Christopher House and soonafter launched the "Home Grower's Program" - our flagship mutual aid project - which distributed over 1,500 healthy transplants with the help of 10 different "home-grower" volunteers. We mobilized them to start seeds at home and then delivered the mature plants to participating growing projects across the city.

Help us work towards a more equitable food system that supports networks of neighbors engaging with local food alternatives to traditional food supply chains. Thank YOU for your support and contributions as we grow and advance equity in our food system!

#onlythingsinseason #otisfreshmarket #urbangarden #guerillagardening #vacantlot #chicagofarmer #urbangardening