Just Roots Chicago

THIS SATURDAY we will celebrate the start of the 2026 Growing Season at our Annual Farm Kick Off Event in Bronzeville, Chicago! Come out June 6th, anytime between 10am - 1pm, for an exciting day featuring affordable fresh produce, a seedlings and saplings giveaway, art and horticulture activities, and more!

The event is an easy and fun way to get involved in your local food system and community. We invite you to bring your friends, family, and neighbors!

Here are more details for the event:
Saturday, June 6th, 10am - 1pm

Saint James Community Farm

2936 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

The event is free, open to the public, and family-friendly.

Sign up at the link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW6v6iXNhX_k3JJB0IFTNPOonFXF5WplNuwN9Pv1O7SGRyCw/viewform

HAPPENING NOW! We have seedlings and saplings for giveaway, a live cooking demonstration and fresh produce dishes, and other fun activities for the whole family.

We're located at 2500 223rd St in Sauk Village, IL, and will be out here until 1pm.

See you soon!

In less than 48 hours, we will celebrate the start of the 2026 Growing Season at our Annual Farm Kick Off Event! Come out this Saturday, May 30th, anytime between 10am - 1pm, to enjoy a wonderful morning on our beautiful farm!

Join us for an exciting day featuring affordable fresh produce, a seedlings and saplings giveaway, art and horticulture activities, and more.

The event is an easy and fun way to get involved in your local food system and community. We encourage you to bring your friends, family, and neighbors!

Here are more details for the event:
Saturday, May 30th, 10am - 1pm

It Takes a Village Community Farm

2500 223rd St, Sauk Village, IL, 60411

Sign up by selecting the link and clicking "Register" https://justrootschicago.org/pages/community-events

Just Roots and Grace United Church of Christ invite you to join us on Saturday, August 15th for a special farm dinner celebrating 5 years of It Takes A Village Farm!

This special event will feature delicious dishes prepared by some of Chicagoland's most talented chefs using fresh, organic produce from the farm. The event will also include a fellowship hour, live music, a video presentation, and speeches from members of our Growing Young Leaders (GYL) program.

All proceeds from the event directly support programs and services at the farm.

To learn more or purchase early bird tickets, visit the following link: https://event.auctria.com/eb43d8ed-8ff0-41a9-b2f2-dac0a2887c90/aa6cd270-8751-11e9-a741-3fcfcb35cbb0

As a recipient of a Creative Placemaking grant from , we are thrilled to announce our upgrade project at It Takes a Village Community Farm in Sauk Village, IL. This critical funding has helped our organization develop, design, and soon implement a mural with Zitlali Creative Consulting and Strassburg Elementary, among other projects.

We are grateful to be among other great organizations using arts and culture to transform suburban spaces into lively and thriving community hubs. Thank you to Cook County for supporting the arts sector across the suburbs!

Creative Placemaking grants are supported by Cook County Arts, an initiative of the Cook County Bureau of Economic Development made possible with American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Happy First Week of Harvest at our Farms! Can you imagine our soil was covered and dormant for the winter only 2 months ago?!

Once we were back on the farm in March, we prepped the soil to grow the food now ready for harvest. We practice regenerative farming by planting cover crops over the winter to reduce inputs, improve soil life, increase biodiversity, and reduce erosion. In March, we mowed the cover crop then covered the beds for a few weeks to let it decompose back into the ground.

This is one of the reasons why our produce tastes so fresh and is as nutritionally dense as possible. When we take care of the land, the land can take care of us!

Every year, we come together in early summer to celebrate the start of the growing season with fresh food and a variety of family-friendly activities.

We welcome you to join us on Saturday May 30th or June 6th!

The Farm Kick Off Events are a great way to get involved with Just Roots for the first time or reconnect with our community at the start of the growing season.

Here's what you can expect at the event:
- The first Farm Stand of the season
- Seedlings and saplings for giveaway
- Cooking demonstrations and farm fresh dishes
- Art and horticulture projects
- Other family-friendly activities

Register by selecting the link and your preferred farm location. https://justrootschicago.org/pages/community-events

See you then!

We're glad to announce our 2025 Annual Report! Here's a sneak peak.

Select the following link to access the full report: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0674/8546/6859/files/2025_Just_Roots_Annual_Report.pdf?v=1778251146

In 2025, we completed the second year of our strategic plan, and accomplished more
than we originally set out to do. This is in large part due to the support of
hundreds of community partners, volunteers, CSA members, neighbors, and
donors who contribute to our work!

Every day, we experience so many beautiful moments of community at the farm, and we’re beyond grateful for all of those shared experiences.

We look forward to continuing this work in partnership with you in 2026 and beyond, and can't wait to see everyone on the farm!

In Community,
The Just Roots Team

April was a great month on the farm. We hosted over 10 volunteer groups, 5 youth groups, and many individual volunteers.

If you're interested in learning to grow your own food or getting involved in the local food system, join us on the farm for our weekly volunteer days! We host individual volunteers and groups every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9am - 12pm. You can come for an hour or stay for the whole morning.

Since 2020, we have partnered with . At the farm, classes engage in therapeutic horticulture, volunteering, and other tailored educational programming. Students learn about regenerative growing practices and complete farm projects in support of their vocational opportunities.

We are grateful for our continued collaboration and look forward to the students' next visit!