Frequently Asked Questions

Volunteering, Workshops & Events

  • Email info@urbangrowerscollective.org with a short description of your reason for cancellation.

  • Community Groups (local schools, nonprofits, existing partners) should submit the inquiry form on our “Become A Volunteer” page found under the “Get Involved” menu. Corporate groups (For-profit organizations without an existing relationship with UGC) should submit the inquiry form on our Corporate Volunteering page under the same menu.

  • Please send an email describing your opportunity to info@urbangrowerscollective.org

Purchasing Produce

  • You can purchase produce seasonally at one of our farm stands, via our Fresh Moves Mobile Market, our weekly box-delivery CSA program, or wholesale for your local business. To see most recent schedules and registrations, go to the respective pages under the “Market Pathways” menu.

  • Our Farm Stands are open weekly during our growing season, starting around Mother’s Day in May and running through the end of October. To see current hours, visit our “Purchase Our Produce” page under the Market Pathways menu.

  • You can find our most up-to-date schedule by following the bus on Instagram, @freshmoveschi. Text "Join" to (855) 640-8337 to receive a message from our team when we cancel a stop, are running late, or when there are special promotions on the bus.

Programs

  • Yes! All current employment opportunities are linked on our Careers page under Get Involved. Find information about our internship program on our Internship page under Job Training and Education.

  • Our Apprenticeship applications open in December of the year before the program year. Our internship applications open in mid-January or early February. To see the most up-to-date information see our program pages under Job Training & Education.

  • We appreciate your patience as we work to process our applications as quickly as possible in order to respond in a timely manner.

  • If you completed and submitted via a Google Form or website form then you have successfully submitted your application. Submissions are not accepted via email or mail. We appreciate your patience as we work to process our applications as quickly as possible in order to respond in a timely manner.

  • During the growing season, we offer a number of workshops and events that provide a focused and concise learning experience, such as our seasonal herbal walks. You can find these under our Workshops & Events page in the main menu.

    Volunteering is also another way to be introduced to urban agriculture skills such as how to harvest specific produce, safe food handling procedures, and how to prepare a crop plot. You can sign-up to volunteer on our Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/urban-growers-collective-46492705633#collections

  • Our youth corps is in partnership with After School Matters. Eligible youth are CPS students between the ages of 14-19. Visit our Youth Corps page under Job Training & Education for more information on eligibility, program schedule, and stipend amounts.

  • We have community garden plots available at two locations:

    Jackson Park Community Farm, located near Marquette & Cornell

    South Chicago Farm, located at 9000 S Mackinaw Ave

    Plots are 10 ft x 10 ft and cost $25 for the season (with scholarship opportunities.) For more information and to apply for a plot, visit our Community Gardens page under “Get Involved.”

  • Yes! You can register on our Community Composting page under “Get Involved.”

Green Era Campus

  • Please visit greenerachicago.org/anaerobic-digester-services/food-waste-recycling and submit our inquiry form.

  • During our program season, which runs roughly from mid-May through the end of October, we have weekly Community Days at the Green Era Campus for individuals and families to tour and volunteer. You can see times and RSVP on our Eventbrite.

    Community Groups (local schools, nonprofits, existing partners) should submit the inquiry form on our Become A Volunteer page found under “Get Involved”.

    Corporate groups (For-profit organizations without an existing relationship with UGC) should submit the inquiry form on our Corporate Volunteering page under the same menu.

Donations

  • To donate online, click the button on the far right in our menu.

    Checks can be made payable to Urban Growers Collective and mailed to:

    Urban Growers Collective 1200 W 35th St #118 Chicago, IL 60609

    If you’d like to set up a peer-to-peer fundraiser, please email us at info@urbangrowerscollective.org and we can create a custom donation form for your donation drive.

  • Search your inbox for your donation confirmation email and click the link to cancel, or email info@urbangrowerscollective.org

  • We love in-kind product donations! Please fill out this inquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

    https://forms.gle/7QiWF8GkFmFYGdpf9

  • If you donated through the website, check your inbox for a confirmation email with an attached tax-deductible receipt. If you donated elsewhere, email info@urbangrowerscollective.org your email address or mailing address and we will send you your receipt as soon as possible.

  • Yes, as long as a service was not provided, such as a workshop ticket* or buying produce, all donations are tax-deductible. Our Tax ID is 82-3336616.

    *If you made a donation in addition to a workshop ticket or when you RSVP’d for a tour and volunteer session on Eventbrite, your donation is tax-deductible. Email info@urbangrowerscollectiveorg to request a receipt.

  • Your donation supports our general operating budget which funds our ecosystem of programming that builds health, economic development, healing, & creativity through urban agriculture. Currently we are not accepting donations restricted to specific programs.