Healthy Options at Heartland Housing: Smooth & Social Roots

David Edwards knows a thing or two about community and growth. As founder and owner of Smooth & Social Roots, a cutting-edge healthy food business born on the south side, he sees first-hand how urban agriculture helps both individuals and neighborhoods grow.

On May 15th, David will be bringing that passion and knowledge to the near-west side with his newest café at Heartland Housing’s Harvest Commons apartments (1519 W Warren Blvd).

“I’m here to make valuable products for good people, and I don’t just mean smoothies. I’m here to introduce people to new ideas and to community.”

David’s passion for healthy foods and agriculture sparked while he was incarcerated, as he was given a chance to build skills and reduce his sentence in an urban farming program. Quickly thereafter, he enrolled in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Windy City Harvest program and connected with friends who and experts that knew the ins and outs of successful farming.

In just a few years, David and his close-knit group of friends harnessed that passion and developed an urban farm on Chicago’s south side. Chicago’s largest food deserts are found on its south and west sides, primarily impacting the health and wealth of Black communities. David sought an alternative solution for the barriers faced in his communities, and developed Smooth and Social Roots into a community-sponsored agriculture program – delivering healthy, local, organic produce to vulnerable communities.

“Food is more than just something you put into your body. It’s a symbol for love. You want to help people live and enjoy their lives? You feed them. We’re bringing that love to entire communities.”

The newest Smooth and Social Roots Café, nestled into the first floor of our Harvest Commons supportive housing development, is the perfect place to share that love. David is working with Heartland Alliance’s Jo Mathias-Porter to utilize the building’s 25 cubic yards of community garden space and develop a hyper-local source of fresh produce for the café’s menu. This year, customers will be able to sit right next to the garden that produced their green juices and salads.

David with Heartland Alliance’s urban farming experts

“This is what I’m most excited about. Working with Heartland and being strategic about what we’re feeding people. Now, we have a chance to give the community what they really want, and connecting people to their neighborhood in ways they never were before.”

David believes this next chapter of Smooth and Social Roots is about supporting a space for life, liveliness, and community.

Inside the cafe, a blackboard has been constructed – with a bountiful selection of colored chalk, begging to be used as an outlet of expression. There are a handful of affirmations and quotes already plastered above, but David is ready for the next great artist to share their own wisdom with his new community. He’s already preparing another room for after-school programs for local students, where they will learn about gardening, nutrition, and even entrepreneurship.

A record player is always running, playing a selection of R&B, rock, and jazz from the 70s. Next to it is an open box of albums ready for anyone to peruse. For David, and for Smooth and Social Roots, music is at the heart of all good work.

“When I started growing a garden, I learned how music can help your plants grow. Help them thrive. We’re doing that for the food we grow, and we’re doing it for our customers too.”

Stop by and say hello to David and the Smooth and Social Roots team at 1519 W Warren Blvd, and pick up a coffee or salad. They’re open from Monday through Saturday, 6 a.m to 9 p.m.

Volunteer at FarmWorks

Chicago FarmWorks, Heartland Alliance’s urban farm in the East Garfield Park community, fights two issues associated with poverty: economic opportunity and health. Utilizing a two acre farm in the East Garfield Park neighborhood, we distribute local produce of the highest quality to those who need it most, and help people overcoming multiple barriers to employment find full-time, permanent, viable jobs.

We invite community members to join us on the farm to volunteer. Get your hands dirty, have fun, and learn more about urban agriculture in a safe, socially distant environment!

We will be accepting group volunteers during our farming season, March to November, in groups of 10 or less. Farm tasks may include, but are not limited to; weeding, planting, harvesting, shoveling, and various other task. For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact Celeste Johnson at cejohnson@heartlandalliance.org.

When it Comes to Creating Opportunity, Farms Work

When your model for individual and community development is based upon human interaction, things like a global pandemic really throw a wrench into your work. For Hannah, Jo, and Irvin of our Chicago FarmWorks urban farm, the arrival of COVID-19 forced the team to quickly adapt their nutrition and workforce development programs. It was just in August that the farm was reopened to participants and volunteers, but what they are coming back to is a system that is in some ways more efficient, welcoming, and impactful.

“We are a person first farm, meaning our production model is designed with the people we serve in mind,” said Jo Mathias-Porter, FarmWorks site coordinator. “Not just recipients of the food, but the participants who come in and make this whole place thrive.”

Chicago FarmWorks builds access to opportunity and nutrition through two systems: an in-depth transitional jobs program that provides workforce trainings, and hands-on skill-building through work on the farm itself. As coronavirus spread, the team had to build two new systems at the same time to adapt. To ensure the safety and health of their participants, in-person interactions shifted to telecommunications. To ensure fruitful yields for our community partners, they found ways grow more produce on less land.

“We focused on growing as much as we could – for both our participants and the farm,” said Hannah, FarmWorks project manager. “We provide food to our Vital Bridges food pantries – and lines were only getting longer during this crisis.”

The team also manages two other gardens – one at our Harvest Commons affordable housing development and one with our partners at Inspiration Kitchens. The new systems put in place resulted in an increased production per square foot by 44 percent, placing the farm in a position to meet or – even beat – its highest-ever servings-per-year while using less than half the land and fewer people.

“Those new efficiencies have made a huge difference. Now that we’re able to open up to participants again, that production is just going to skyrocket.”

But FarmWork’s production means little if their participants aren’t growing as well. The workforce development challenges caused by COVID-19 have been similar to what many have faced across the country. Workshops and readiness trainings had to shift toward conference calls, as many did not have sufficient access to internet. Even more, the team had to develop new tactics and strategies to help their participants find and obtain work in the new normal.

“The technology divide is ripping wide open, and so we wanted to make sure people had their resources were saved for job interviews and the like. We’ve had to really focus on learning to be good listeners and good salespeople in a digital world.”

In August, health and safety protocols were in place to begin accepting people back onto the farm – a welcome shift for both staff and participants. It’s particularly nice to work outside this time of year, even with a mask on. The team and the people they serve are out on the farm four days a week, getting their hands dirty, and learning the fundamental skills and norms necessary to find work in the city. Job club is in the afternoons and on Fridays, and everyone agrees that the hands-on experience helps to put job skill theories into practice.

“This has changed everything this year – now we can really work with people at an emotional level,” Hannah said. “Routine has made a huge difference in everyone’s lives, and we can even train on social-emotional learning skills in a way that’s difficult over the phone.”

Perhaps more importantly, the program’s strengths-based philosophy has allowed for a return of community ownership and purpose. FarmWorks exists at a nexus of social problems: food insecurity, health, unemployment, community investment. Every day, the work happening at the farm addresses these issues as our participants and staff work together to create solutions for both individuals and communities.

“You can literally see the impact you make here. Now that we’re firing on all cylinders, we can pack up our vans with produce and it’s full,” Hannah said. “When you know that it goes to Vital Bridges food pantries, we’ve really seen how participants are emotionally impacted by that. It’s such a powerful experience.”

Learn more about the programs mentioned in this piece:

Supporting Hunger Action Month

Heartland Alliance’s vision is to achieve equity and opportunity for all. We believe that by ensuring everyone in society has access to safety, health, housing, education, economic opportunity and justice, individuals are better equipped to exit poverty and achieve stability. As part of health and well-being, there is a critical need for proper food and nutrition.

According to Feeding America, over 40 million people are struggling with hunger. This number includes 12 million children. Often these families have to make a choice between keeping the lights on or feeding their family, or paying a medical bill or buying food.

Throughout the year and especially during September – Hunger Action Month – Heartland Alliance provides supports for those who are hungry. Laura Ritland Samnadda, Heartland Alliance Health’s Food and Nutrition Manager, has dedicated her career to helping others escape the daily crisis of food insecurity.

“People with food insecurity tend to struggle with housing, transportation, medical bills, employment, and overall poverty. But they might also be your neighbor who just lost a job and is just trying to get by paying the rent and utilities – it could literally be anyone at this point.”

Over the past three decades, one of Heartland Alliance’s primary goals has been to end hunger for as many individuals as possible – helping people achieve not only their health and nutrition goals, but achieving overall life goals as well.

To increase healthy food and nutrition options for participants, we employ a team of traveling dietitians that provide community-wide cooking classes, as well as partner with agencies like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Heartland Human Care Service’s FarmWorks urban farm. Additionally, we have an advocacy team who promotes stronger food assistance programs, and a city-wide system of food pantries, known as Vital Bridges, dedicated to serving some of the most at-risk populations.

Vital Bridges is a participant choice site – meaning that the pantries don’t want to have people walk away with food they aren’t going to use. We are especially focused on creating a welcoming atmosphere for those who need our services, so that visitors are encouraged by the options provided.

Heartland Alliance Health Community Dietician Elizabeth Murphy believes strongly in that approach.

“Everybody deserves access to food – not just any food, but good, healthy food that nourishes you. A lack of access to food is connected with environment and social factors that can keep people unhealthy or unsafe.”

According to the National Education Association, hungry children have lower math scores, and are more likely to repeat a grade, come to school late, or miss it entirely. These adverse experiences can compound and if hunger continues to ensue, the likelihood of escaping poverty decreases. According Bertha Segura De Gonzalez, coordinator for the Vital Bridges food pantries, the question of who eats in a household is a question asked far too often.

“Often times, we are the only source of food for the people we serve. A participant will feed their children before eating, sometimes there are no leftovers for the participant to eat.”

Shopping in our pantries is only the first step to healthier outcomes. Our staff are quick to work together to provide more access to supports for the participant. Oftentimes, we are able to connect them with other Heartland Alliance programming – using our housing, healthcare, or employment services to help them find safety and stability.

At Heartland Alliance, we prefer to focus on the “action” part of Hunger Action Month and according to Samnadda, there are many ways for all of us to take a stand for those who are food insecure.

“Advocate, donate, and volunteer. The final version of the Farm Bill that houses SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and other feeding programs is being voted on soon. Please call or write your representatives and ask them to protect SNAP. “

Supporters also can join us as we near our annual Harvest for Hope food drive. This year, our food and nutrition team is especially in need of financial support. As we strive to continue providing choice and flexibility for our participants, funds raised allow the staff to buy food and personal care items for specific individuals and families as needed. Please click here or contact Celeste Johnson for more information – (312) 660-1390, cejohnson@heartlandalliance.org.

Celebrating Summer at Chicago FarmWorks

At Heartland Alliance, we believe in a holistic approach to ending poverty – one that requires access to quality housing, healthcare, jobs, and justice. From the locally grown produce distributed across Chicago at our local food pantries, to the job training and placement programming – our Chicago FarmWorks Urban Farm in East Garfield Park embodies that holistic approach while also bringing communities together.

It’s been a busy summer at the farm. Leaders from corporate and civic life have come together to make the FarmWorks program a hotbed of volunteerism, community activism, and revitalization. As a result, over 500 people have visited the 2-acre farm to help with everything from weeding and plot planning, to planting and tending the crops, and even preparation for harvest time and fall food-pantry logistics. This work simply couldn’t be done without the tremendous help of our individual, corporate, group, and nonprofit partners.

Conagra Brands has generously invested financial resources to help ensure the farm is working at its best capacity to increase access to the healthy, local food that individuals and families need to reach their full potential. With Conagra’s support, FarmWorks has been able to create a drip irrigation system to improve yields; build a greenhouse and other structures to start more seedlings on-site and extend the growing season; and implement a more reliable and robust vegetable transport plan for our partner pantries. Thanks to Conagra, we’ve been able to increase our yield and distribution of additional servings of vegetables for communities experiencing food insecurity. This year alone we will grow and distribute 40,000 servings of food, impacting more than 1,400 Chicagoans.

It takes a village to create such an impact, and we also couldn’t do this work without other partners like the City of Chicago, the Chicago Community Trust, and Chicago Tribune Charities/McCormick Foundation, as well as hundreds of volunteers from companies like BCG, Aon, Exelon, & Northern Trust. All have contributed hours of labor on the farm itself and invested resources to ensure the continued success of the program.

And most importantly, we couldn’t make these incredible impacts without the support, input, and hard work of the very people we serve. Heartland Alliance participants work the soil of the farm throughout the year, gaining valuable employment experience and education. We work one-on-one with the community in the constant effort to build a more-impactful program and to provide produce that the community most wants to eat. Tomatoes, hot peppers, spinach, lettuce, radishes, mustard greens, collard greens, green beans, onions, potatoes, okra, cucumbers, summer squash – we grow over 20 different types of produce, all recommended by the community itself. As a result, nearly 80% of our participants reported satisfaction with the quality and variety of the produce they received at our Vital Bridges food pantries.

And you, too, can help make an impact! Throughout the year, the Chicago FarmWorks program has monthly volunteer days where anyone can join in the fun and get their hands dirty. Check out the Heartland Alliance Facebook Page for upcoming events or learn more about FarmWorks here.

Growing Healthy Food, Good Jobs

For workers who have struggled to find and keep employment, a short term, skill-building job can be a springboard to success. Through our FarmWorks program, we’re preparing people with basic education as well as training for well-paid jobs in Chicago focusing on farming and warehousing.

Participants gain experience planting and harvesting fresh produce on our urban farm in East Garfield Park and then join our partner, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, assisting in their warehouse.

The approach has been enormously successful – this year we quadrupled the size of the farm, growing 34,000 servings of vegetables for communities struggling to get fresh food and prepared 34 individuals for in demand jobs.

Growing Careers: FarmWorks Combines Transitional Jobs + Contextualized Learning

EQUITY. OPPORTUNITY. FOR ALL.