By The Hand Club Students in Altgeld Gardens Cut Ribbon on Chicago’s Only Youth-Led Container Farm

By The Hand Club Students in Altgeld Gardens Cut Ribbon on Chicago’s Only Youth-Led Container Farm

Bowen Harvest is the fruit of a partnership between By The Hand Club For Kids, Kenilworth Union Church, and Freight to Plate

 By The Hand Club For Kids, together with Freight to Plate and Kenilworth Union Church, celebrated the ribbon cutting and first harvest at Bowen Harvest, a hub for youth entrepreneurship, nutrition education and community nourishment in the Altgeld Gardens community.

Anchored by Chicago’s only youth-led not-for-profit container farm, Bowen Harvest will empower high school students at By The Hand’s Altgeld-Murray site to develop food solutions for their community while getting hands-on lessons in entrepreneurship and agricultural technology.

Surrounded by partners and members of the community, Bowen Harvest’s 13 student entrepreneurs harvested their first crops – leafy lettuce – just six weeks after planting seedlings in their new, state-of-the-art hydroponic container farm. The 500-square-foot container farm will produce more than one ton of fresh, nutrient dense produce for the community each year, filling a significant need in one of the nation’s starkest food deserts, where the nearest grocery store is more than three miles away.

The youth entrepreneurs – high school students in nearby CPS schools and participants at By The Hand’s Altgeld-Murray site – will be responsible for operations at Bowen Harvest, overseeing crop planning, mineral and water management, lighting and temperature control and harvesting. In addition to an educational stipend they earn for their participation, students will get valuable lessons in science, technology, engineering, math and reading as well as exposure to real-world business concepts like profit and loss, marketing, food trends, partnerships and more.

The harvest, like all produce grown at Bowen Harvest, will be distributed by youth entrepreneurs to members of the community, their families, local food banks and other partner organizations throughout the year.

“Bowen Harvest is a testament to what happens when we trust in God for our nourishment,” said Donnita Travis, president and chief executive officer for By The Hand. “He blessed us with incredible partners, each of whom helped us bring to life His vision for a hub of education, nutrition and opportunity in the Altgeld neighborhood. Through Bowen Harvest, our kids are learning life-long skills while taking care of one another and their community.”

Freight to Plate, the Chicago-based organization leading the hyperlocal food movement, partnered with By The Hand on planning, procurement and activation for the container farm at Bowen Harvest. Freight to Plate’s programs are designed to educate and feed hyperlocal communities, promoting food equity in under-resourced areas through sustainable agriculture technology. Their founders will provide ongoing services to ensure equipment optimization and productivity as the youth bring nutrient-rich produce to the Altgeld community.

“Freight to Plate is deeply committed to leveraging our experience and knowledge to make sure that neighborhoods across Chicago have access to a community asset that promotes health and wellness and food equity,” said Mary Kathryn Scala, cofounder at Freight to Plate. “Container farms like the one at Bowen Harvest have the potential to support healthier, more resilient communities and make fresh produce accessible and affordable. We’re proud to partner with By The Hand in leading this important movement.”

In addition to equitable access to fresh food, nutrition education remains a persistent barrier to health and wellness in under-resourced communities. A 2022 survey of By The Hand students in Altgeld found the majority of first, second and third graders could name just three fruits and vegetables.

In tandem with the entrepreneurship-focused programming at Bowen Harvest, all By The Hand students in K-12th grades in Altgeld get year-round access to STEM and nutrition education through the innovative Green Bronx Machine curriculum, which includes hands-on lessons with By The Hand’s indoor aeroponic tower gardens. In the year since this instruction was introduced, By The Hand students have become demonstrably more interested in nutritious foods and are encouraging experimentation with more varieties of fruit and vegetables in their homes.

A transformative gift from Kenilworth Union Church and the Gil and Marlene Bowen Christian Outreach Fund was instrumental in bringing Bowen Harvest to life. The gift was given in honor of the 90th birthday of the Rev. Dr. Gilbert W. Bowen, minister emeritus for Kenilworth Union Church, and enabled By The Hand to collaborate with Freight to Plate to bring the container farm to Altgeld-Murray.

At its core, Bowen Harvest is about growing community through education, youth engagement, and community service,” said the Reverend Doctor William A. Evertsberg, senior minister at Kenilworth Union Church. “The Bowen Fund was established in 2007 in honor of Reverend Gil Bowen—our former senior minister of 30 years—and his wife Marlene Bowen, who together led the church’s outreach ministry.”

Reflected Mark Bowen, son of the late Gil Bowen, "we are honored to see my parents' legacy of service and community provide new roots, new growth. They would be proud of our partnership with By The Hand to make Bowen Harvest a reality, inspiring faith, hope and health for our youth – and future generations – in Altgeld Gardens."

Bowen Harvest builds on By The Hand’s commitment to provide meaningful youth entrepreneurship experiences that help students address needs specific to their communities. In 2020, students at the club’s Austin site conceived and launched Austin Harvest, the youth-led fresh market providing fresh food, flowers and hope for the far west side community, also a widely recognized food desert.

For more information about Bowen Harvest, please visit www.bythehand.org.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.