Community Green Farms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Pittsburg, Kansas. Our mission is to improve the health of communities impacted by inadequate nutrition through hands-on education and innovative agricultural production. We do that through three programs that work together: we grow fresh vegetables in hydroponic farms, teach students to grow food themselves, and get that food to the kids and families who need it.
Farm to School
Farm to School installs a working hydroponic grow system directly inside a school, turning an unused room or corner into a classroom farm. Students plant, tend and harvest real crops as part of their coursework, learning plant biology, water chemistry and the basics of sustainable agriculture. What they grow goes back into the school's own cafeteria, so students see their work reach the lunch line.
Backpack Program
For many kids, the school cafeteria is the most reliable meal of the day, so Friday afternoon can be the start of a hungry weekend. The Backpack Program sends kid-friendly, easy-to-prepare groceries home with students before weekends and school breaks. Families opt in through their school, and bags go home through the school's existing routine so no student is singled out. When a harvest is ready, bags include produce grown in our hydroponic farms.
Food Pantry
Most food pantry shelves are stocked with shelf-stable donations, which rarely include fresh produce. Our Food Pantry program fills that gap: we grow vegetables in our hydroponic farms and deliver them directly to local pantries and outreach centers, so visitors can get fresh food alongside the staples.
How you can help
A $40 gift grows about 25 servings of fresh food. 92% of what we spend goes to programs, 5% to admin and 3% to fundraising. Community Green Farms is a registered 501(c)(3) (EIN 87-4305116), so gifts are tax-deductible to the extent the law allows.