A Neighborhood Light

Chicago Lights Urban Farm is a nonprofit program making a difference for the Cabrini-Green community by supplying educational and occupational opportunities and fresh food distribution.

The ¾ acre of land started as a community garden in 2003 run by the Fourth Presbyterian Church for the church members and Cabrini-Green residents. After six years, they decided to reevaluate what the land was used for. 

They took the community's interest to heart when creating what now is called “The Farm”. They did surveying campaigns, asking the residents what they wanted and they said programs and jobs for youth and accessible fresh produce. Chicago Lights did just that. 

With a collaboration with After School Matters Urban Farm became the home to education-based, real-world experiences for high-school-aged students in sustainable farming. They offer programs during the school year for high-school students and in the summer they open up their program for the little ones at Farm Camp. 

They recognize most students don’t go on to become farmers, but Urban Farm makes sure the students do transferable work that will prepare them for their future. The program teaches them customer service, communication within a workplace, and a strong work ethic. 

Thanks to After School Matters, in the past year they were able to start paying the summer students an hourly wage of $16, while students during the school year are given a stipend.

But The Farm isn’t only for the students, it’s a home to its community. Outside of the after-school programs, they offer a food stand, community cook-outs, and cooking demonstration classes where all ingredients and cooking utensils are provided to take home and measured out to the exact ounce. 

Urban Farm is dedicated toward making an impact on their community, which is why all their resources stay within Cabrini-Green. They recognize that most of their community consists of low-income families that struggle with access to fresh food so they committed to helping them. 

Due to this, they take bettering its community seriously with numerous forms of accommodations in the programs. As Deja Stout, the associate director of The Farm, puts it, “there’s amazing things out there, but if people can’t access them, what’s the point?” 

Everything The Farm provides is free. Their student-run produce stand is open to all where payment is asked for those who can afford it, but is not mandated. To help aid low-income families, they created a market voucher program of a $25 credit per week to use at the stand. Any money that is made from the stand goes directly back into supporting the program.

For those interested in farming, residents in a five-block radius of The Farm are eligible to rent a plot in the community garden for a small fee. With Chicago Lights’ generosity, those who cannot pay the fee are asked to volunteer for 15 hours by the end of the season. 

They aren’t fighting to end world hunger, but last year they were able to grow six thousand pounds of food for their community, with at least 60% given away for free, coming out to about $10,000 worth of produce donated.

The Farm doesn’t only stay on their grounds, though. Residents can call The Farm director personally and place online orders with her. Stout said they get swarmed with around 80-90 callers per month requesting produce packages. They hand deliver each package door-to-door, building a stronger connection with their neighborhood.

The Farm also has a partnership with The Near North Clinic where they drop off 15 bags of food every week to help with their diabetes and obesity prevention program, creating more of an impact. 

Deja Stout says that the impact “comes from being a community space versus a food distribution center,” because their plot of land has become the home to a growing community. “Urban Farm is an important staple in the area and is greatly loved by [its] residents,” but unfortunately, they’re being relocated by the Chicago Housing Authority. 

Due to the gentrification in the area, The Farm is the only plot in their area, on Chicago Avenue, that hasn’t changed in the last 20 years. With the Cabrini-Green row houses being torn down and fancy high-rise buildings being built, the original residents have been pushed out of their homes creating change they haven’t asked for. That’s what makes The Farm special.

“Not all change has been for the better, but The Farm has stayed consistent.”

The Farm can currently be found on the South end of Cabrini-Green, surrounded by colorful signs, at 444 W Chicago Ave, up until the end of 2024.