We believe everyone deserves to have a good job, and everyone deserves to eat well.
That’s why we’ve been helping people find meaningful careers through skills learned while farming since 2002. Growing Home is Chicago’s leading expert in farm-based training for people with employment barriers. By providing 25 hours per week of paid on-the-job experience and job-readiness training at our farms, plus the support to conquer issues like criminal records, medical needs, child-care, and housing, we have changed the lives of hundreds of workers, and thousands of their family members.
We start people on the path to self-sufficiency. When people have jobs, they have economic stability in their lives; this stability allows for healthy people and families. But we don’t stop there: we use our unique model to impact neighborhoods with the greatest need. That’s why our farms are located in Englewood, a community on the South side of Chicago that has been under-served for decades and has extremely high rates of unemployment and poverty, hundreds of acres of vacant lots, and a distinct lack of healthy food choices.
When communities have access to healthy food options, the overall well-being and health of the residents improves. With economic resources and physical health, neighbors are more able to participate in the rejuvenation of their community.
To help people find meaningful, sustaining careers, we train them in job skills, give them real work experience, and support them while they begin their careers by helping with job placement and life-planning. We not only provide the support people need to succeed, but also the space to define what success means to them. To transform our community, we offer our produce to our neighbors at significantly reduced prices, advocate for the issues impacting Englewood, and open up our space for trainings, workshops, and more.
Milestones
1992
Les Brown, founder of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, has a vision to help homeless Chicagoans gain job skills and rebuild their confidence through farming.
2002
Nine people enroll as participants in Growing Home’s first year of training.
2006
Development begins on the Wood Street Urban Farm and the job training program finds a permanent home in Englewood. The first 100 Production Assistants complete the training program.
2011
In part due to Growing Home’s precedent-setting Wood Street Farm, the City of Chicago passes a new ordinance making the establishment of an urban farm less daunting and more efficient for others. Growing Home’s Honore Street Farm is the first farm to open under the new ordinance.
2013
Growing Home is chosen as the winner of the Bank of America Neighborhood Builders Award, and, at the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards, is named as the Chicago Community Trust Outstanding Community Strategy of the Year.
2014
Growing Home solidifies a partnership with Cabrini Green Legal Aid to help Production Assistants seal or expunge their criminal records, a primary employment barrier, and to offer legal assistance with housing, child custody, and other civil pursuits affecting their ability to succeed.
Our Team
Janelle St. John
Executive Director
Chena Alexander
Farm Market Associate
Gabriel Almodovar
Training & Development Specialist
Natalie Archie
Controller
Alisha Brumfield
Farm Educator
Erinjoi Carmack
Case Management Coordinator
Jakob Chybowski
Accountant
Mary Devo
IT Specialist
Melinda Craigs-Ingram
Director of Operations & External Affairs
Janice Ellis
Workforce Development Specialist
LaQuandra Fair
Community Engagement Coordinator
Candice Frazier
Training & Development Specialist
Ana Gagliardi
Workforce Development Specialist
Sonia Garcia
Farm Market Associate
Naombi Givens
Individual Giving Coordinator
Ezra Lee
Farm & Program Manager
Daniel Mackey
Workforce Development Manager
Mawiyah Stewart
Executive Administrative Assistant
Anna Sumska
Farm and Program Educator
Troy Thompson
IT Training Assistant
Jovan Wade
Farm and Program Educator
Audia Wells
HR Director
Zenobia Williams
Director of Employment Training
Karl Riley
Board President
Chase Bank, Vice President Sr. Relationship Manager
Micheál Newman-Brooks
Board Vice President
Program Manager of School Gardens, Chicago Public School
Stephen Gates
Board Treasurer
Accenture, Associate Director, Midwest SAP Program Delivery
Dan Kaplan
Board Secretary
American Library Association, Marketing Manager
Shawn Boone
PNC Bank, AVP Branch Manager
Taryn William Clark
Bel Brands, Director of Corporate Communications
Joyce Donaly
BMO Harris, Senior Integration & Change Lead
Wendell Harris
Chicago Community Loan Fund, VP of Lending Operations
Norm Jeddolah, ESQ
Avocado Strategy Partners, Engagement Manager & Coach
Joe Niemec
Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Securities
Colette Payne
Director, Reclamation Project
Dominique Price
Scharf Banks Marmor, Counsel
Lynn Sheck
Executive Business Development Leader
Felicia Slayton-Young
Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce, Executive Director
Steve Stanley
Pastor & Community Organizer
Kevin Swan
United Senior Services, General Manager
Stewart Weiss
Elrod Friedman LLP, Founding Partner
Associate Board
Learn more about our Associate Board Members here.
Hannah Tate
Board Co-Chair
HumanN, Sr. Shopper Marketing Manager
Emma Wolfe
Board Co-Chair
Kearney, Senior People Experience Advisor
Rochester Bailey
Diggler INC., CEO and Media Architect
Emma Cameron
Wellness & Yoga Consultant
Brianna Hobbs
Teamwork Englewood, Health & Wellness Coordinator
Jared Sagoff
Argonne National Laboratory, Coordinating Writer/Editor
Brendan Troutman
Roseland Hospital, Director of Outpatient Services
Leadership Council
Diana Leifer
Amy Rynell
Anton Seals Jr.
Barbara Wallace
Betsy Gates-Alford
Carolyn Zehrer
Colleen Sheehan
Deborah Bennett
Erika Allen
Foster Dale
Ivan Handler
Judith Aronson, PhD
Lauren Rosenthal
Lauri Alpern
Lisa Leib
Nicole Wagner
Orrin Williams
Paula Carney
Perry Gunn
Philip Hong
Sebastian White