The Wood Street Urban Farm in Englewood hits two doing-good-in-the-community notes at once, notes NBC Chicago. Producing 10,000 pounds of produce a year, the farm (and its accompanying farmstand) is one of the only sources for healthy food in one of Chicago’s worst food deserts. “We only had food at liquor stores in Englewood,” a resident told NBC’s camera. “We used to travel miles to get a banana or get an apple.”
On top of that, the farm (which is run by Growing Home) provides jobs to troubled adults and ex-offenders within the community, hiring them for six month “internships” that then pave the way for other jobs down the line. This practice of hiring ex-cons to seems to be growing in popularity — not to mention getting a lot of airtime these days. Wood Street Urban Farm’s practice of helping adults get back on their feet is similar to programs in place at Cafe Too and Felony Franks. [NBC Chicago, video]
