Contact Information: Stephanie Dunn Stephanie@starfarmchicago.com
Address: 5136 S Carpenter St
Neighborhood/Community Area: New City (Back of the Yards)
Garden Established: N/A
Protected by NeighborSpace: 2022
Social Media/Website: Star Farm Chicago
Community Partners: Envision Unlimited
Star Farm Chicago is a network of urban farms serving the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Its primary location, which has existed for three seasons, is located on 5000 block of South Throop on a series of City owned lots. The neighborhood farm has been very productive on a shoestring, and now, with Aldermanic support for the project, they have begun to invest into long-term improvements. At the western edge of Back of the Yards on the 5300 block of South Wolcott Star Farm hopes to build off its success on Throop and establish a presence throughout the neighborhood. Supported by Open Space Impact Fee funds they plan to build out the City-owned lots on Wolcott with new fencing, ADA accessible paths and raised beds, a covered community gathering area and ample rows of crops for the neighborhood farm.
Star Farm’s mission is to increase accessibility of locally grown organic produce. They achieve this through a combination of farm stands, community supported agriculture (CSAs), and food donations. In addition, they provide local jobs, job training, and business incubation for adults with developmental disabilities and/or employment barriers, while engaging local families through their children’s and community programming. While their monthly farm celebrations are popular in the community, a key to Star Farm’s success has been its robust partnerships with local institutions including the Rose Center, Heartland Alliance, Lawndale Christian Men’s Association , Sonia Shankman Center and Southside Occupational Academy. All of these entities partner with Star Farm to provide hands-on, outdoor training, work and/or education for their clients.
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