The Liberty Prairie Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community.
 
We provide leadership and financial support for local food system development, social entrepreneurship, land conservation, environmental education, and civic engagement.
 
Support our farmers and join us for upcoming educational events at the Prairie Crossing Farm.
Gleaning Begins June 19!        

Looking for a meaningful volunteer activity that makes a difference in your local community? Come glean with the Liberty Prairie Foundation this season! 

Gleaning begins on Sun., Jun. 19 from 1 - 5 p.m. and continues on Sundays (except Jul. 3) throughout the summer, depending on crop availability. Click here for information and email gleaning@libertyprairie.org to join the gleaning program email list.

Emily Hinz is a teacher at Grayslake North High School who brought students to glean last summer. Here's what she shared:
 
My students really enjoyed the opportunity to give back to the community while also being outside, learning new things about plants and food, getting to know each other better, and having fun while doing it.
 
It is a service opportunity and the learning experience can really be incorporated into any subject area. I am a history teacher and we talked about the agricultural history of Lake County before the gleaning. The component of service and helping to provide fresh, healthy food to those in need is something everyone walks away feeling good about.
 
One of my students who volunteered in a gleaning at the Prairie Crossing Farm a few years ago is now studying nutrition in college. The experience at the farm is something she has carried and will continue to carry with her in college and beyond.
 
Thank you, Emily! All ages are welcome to participate in this hands-on farm work - children must attend with their parent or other adult who is responsible for their supervision.We look forward to hosting YOU for gleaning! 

Thanks to the generosity of Sandhill Family Farms, more than 5,000 pounds of vegetables were gleaned in 2015. The fresh vegetables were delivered to local food pantries including the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Avon Township Food Pantry, COOL Food Pantry, and Roberti Community House.
 
Gleaning is a meaningful volunteer experience that makes a difference AND provides a "behind the scenes" view of organic agriculture. Click here for more information and join us on the farm this season!
Prairie Farm Corps at the Libertyville Farmers Market
       
 
Beginning June 23, visit the Prairie Farm Corps at the Libertyville Farmers Market, open on Thursdays from 7 a.m. - 1 p.m. Purchase certified organic vegetables for your family and support this youth development program!

The Prairie Farm Corps integrates personal and professional development with farm work, and provides hands-on experience cooking fresh vegetables and practicing healthy eating habits. These high school and college aged students have been working on the farm after school this spring to cultivate the vegetables they are selling at the Libertyville Farmers Market. The full Prairie Farm Corps program kicks off mid-June. When you're at the market, ask them what they're learning!

In addition to the Libertyville Farmers Market, they also distribute vegetables through the Women, Infant & Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program in Round Lake and Waukegan, and a vegetable distribution program at Beacon Place in Waukegan.  

Stop by the Libertyville Farmers Market each week (beginning June 23) for a seasonal selection of certified organic vegetables. Thank you for your support!
Intern Spotlight
Gillian & Marina with plants donated by Prairie Crossing Farmers for the Foundation's seedling donation program. 
       
  
The Liberty Prairie Foundation hires a number of interns, who will be introduced in the Intern Spotlight over the summer. 

Our internships provide a variety of leadership development opportunities related to sustainable agriculture, and we're thrilled with the number of excellent candidates vying for these positions.
 
This month we introduce Marina Garcia and Gillian Guidice, our Community Food System interns.
 
Marina Garcia earned her associates degree in sustainable agriculture at the College of Lake County and attends Loyola University Chicago where she is pursuing her bachelors degree in food systems and sustainable agriculture. She has worked at Green Youth Farm in North Chicago as a program participant, intern, and as the director of the Junior Green Youth Farm. Marina also worked as an assistant instructor for Science First, and as the director of the Garden Club at Wilmette Elementary School. 
 
Gillian Guidice is pursing a double major in Economics and Sociology at The College of William & Mary where she also works as an intern at the Williamsburg Farmers Market. She also worked at Fairfood International in Amsterdam, where she helped raise funds and awareness about workers rights violations in the Central American sugarcane industry. Her experience with the issues and injustices of the conventional global food system has energized her to become involved in local food systems alternatives.

Marina and Gillian are coordinating our gleaning program, seedling donation program, Beacon Place program, WIC distribution program in Round Lake and Waukegan, along with giving farm tours and helping with other Liberty Prairie Foundation projects. Welcome, Marina and Gillian!

Coming soon ... our Prairie Farm Corps crew leader interns. 
Community Connections
Roberti House volunteers sort fresh produce provided through a partnership with Fair Share Food. 

                                                
Through the Liberty Prairie Foundation's community food systems work, we continue to build and strengthen connections between the Prairie Crossing Farm and the larger community.  

The Foundation's Lake County Community Food Systems Micro-grant Program supports projects that are using food as a catalyst for change, whether by relief efforts, entrepreneurial opportunities, education, and more.

The following organizations were selected for funding in 2016:
  • Andrew Cooke Magnet School - help Cooke's greenhouse project purchase Tower Gardens which will produce healthy, organic fruits and vegetables for student families and the school's salad bar.
  • GreenTown Waukegan - support urban farming project in the Madeleine Fuqua Garden in Callahan Park, in partnership with the Waukegan Park District, to expand production and donate produce to a local food pantry.
  • Mano a Mano Family Resource Center - support community garden program which offers income-generating opportunities for low-income residents who often left behind cultural traditions and economic practices tied to small-scale agriculture in their countries of origin.
  • Roberti Community House - support their partnership with Fair Share Food which allows Roberti House to distribute fresh food to their clients.
  • Waukegan Park District - support their Garden to Table program which exposes families to gardening, teaches the importance of good nutrition, encourages spending time in nature, and prioritizes quality family time.
Save the Date for Fall Festival!       

Though we're just now entering summer, be sure to save the date for our next large on-farm event - Fall Festival from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sat., Sept. 24. 

Our events help us balance our public education and outreach with the Prairie Crossing Farmers' needs to safely conduct farm operations on a working, certified organic farm. 

Click here for more information about our seasonal events, and we hope to see YOU at Fall Festival!
About the Prairie Crossing Farm      

The Prairie Crossing Farm is a working organic farm nestled inside the Prairie Crossing community in Grayslake, Illinois. The Prairie Crossing Farm is owned by the Liberty Prairie Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

The Foundation operates a variety of programs at the Prairie Crossing Farm to advance our mission. The Farm Business Development Center, an incubator program, prepares beginning farmers to meet the demand for locally-grown organic food in the Chicago region. The independently-owned Prairie Crossing Farm businesses serve customers throughout the Chicago region.

 

The Foundation supports educational programming at the Prairie Crossing Farm to educate and inspire people to value healthy food, land and community through experiences on our farm. Educational programming includes the Prairie Farm Corps youth development program, seasonal events, and more.
32400 North Harris Road
Grayslake, IL 60030

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