About Us
Urban Growers Collective is a Black- and women-led non-profit farm in Chicago, Illinois working to build a more just and equitable local food system. Our approach trains and educates the next generation of farmers and food system innovators, stimulating local economies to create measurable public health improvements.
Rooted in growing food, our mission is to cultivate nourishing environments which support health, economic development, healing, and creativity through urban agriculture. UGC aims to address the historic inequities and structural barriers that exist in the food system predominately in low-income communities of color. We use urban agriculture as our tool and method to create new pathways for economic stability and abundance and to produce community and cultural impacts.
UGC operates 8 urban farms totalling 11 acres primarily located on the South Side of Chicago; a 30-acre peri-urban farm in Chicago Heights established in 2024, and is a strategic partner in the 9-acre Green Era Campus renewable energy facility and hub for urban agriculture in Auburn Gresham. Our farms produce over 23,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, enabling market pathways for emerging growers and increasing food access for tens of thousands of food-insecure Chicagoans.
Our Farmers, Grower Apprentices, and Partners
While our work is rooted in farming, UGC’s approach is holistic. Our farms also provide safe and healing spaces for life-enriching opportunities to hundreds of individuals each year through job training & education programming, public workshops, and land stewardship.
UGC’s approach is trauma informed across its design, implementation and development and hopes to achieve the following key goals:
- Build knowledge and awareness of healthy food, urban agriculture, and food systems
- Increase access to affordable, nutritionally-dense food
- Improve job readiness and employment skills
- Improve socio-emotional learning, skills, and mindsets
- Increase access to entrepreneurial and economic opportunities
- Increase access to safe, healing spaces
- Increase community engagement, cohesion, and social capital
Dion's Chicago Dream
Dion’s Chicago Dream is to improve health outcomes & center health equity through its industry-leading approach to addressing food security at the intersection of last-mile delivery and logistics. Dion’s Dream is to use nutritional philanthropy as a catalyst to build community and transform lives. As an idea born in the heart of Englewood to give back to the community that raised him, Dion’s initiative has expanded into a nonprofit social enterprise model that champions workforce development and the stabilization of food quality.
For families who are interested in our Dream Deliveries program please reach out to our main line at 312-509-4909 to join our waitlist.
Families who live within 2 miles of the Save A Lot located at 832 W. 63rd Street Chicago, IL 60621 are eligible to receive a Dream Delivery box free of charge through our new innovative and award winning Dream Vault. They can also reach out to the main line at 312-509-4909 to be added to our Dream Vault list.
