City Sprouts partners with nonprofits to provide fresh produce, farmers markets to the community

Juli Oberlander • October 1, 2020

City Sprouts partners with nonprofits to provide fresh produce, farmers markets to the community

Photos courtesy of Addie Gengenbach

When the world shut down due to COVID-19, many nonprofit organizations experienced adversity in facing the challenge.

Omaha-based City Sprouts was not exempt, as Communications Manager Addie Gengenbach says the team had to quickly change their focus to meet the needs of community members.

"This year has been a whirlwind for all of us," Gengenbach says. "While very little went as planned, it was a season that exemplified the best of City Sprouts and the Omaha community."

City Sprouts, which collaborates with the metro area to improve local food systems, has a mission to empower neighborhoods and grow sustainable produce through community gardens and urban farms. After the pandemic hit, City Sprouts immediately discontinued its workshops, events and campus programs. Gengenbach says the change was difficult at first.

"When we shut down our city in March due to COVID-19, it was a time of fear and hopelessness," she says, "but our experiences since then have left us feeling the exact opposite: full of hope and a belief that our community can overcome anything when we work together."

Gengenbach says City Sprouts responded to the growing need for food pantry items by adding three new urban farm sites and increasing its food production goal to almost 20,000 pounds. This achievement resulted from partnerships with other nonprofits to access land, share resources and cultivate available soil.

In addition, the team has distributed fresh, local produce throughout the Omaha area with food pantries and innovative approaches to farmers markets. Gengenbach says City Sprouts came up with free farm stands and a pay-what-you-can farmers market that provided community members with produce at any price they could afford.

In place of its in-person nutrition classes and workshops, City Sprouts started offering virtual education opportunities for all ages, with two of its programs, Little Sprouts and Growing Gardeners, reaching more people than ever before. A collaboration with The Big Garden, Growing Gardeners offers four seasons of hands-on workshops that teach skills necessary for every gardener and urban farmer in the areas of growing, cooking, preserving and eating healthy local food.

Along with virtual classes, Gengenbach says the nonprofit's community gardens have served as a way to learn and grow food within social distancing guidelines (six feet apart with masks and sanitizer). In addition, the team launched its Urban Farming Internship (albeit later than usual), with 15 interns split into small groups at various sites.

"The internship was a huge success and we were able to grow over five times the amount of produce compared to any previous year at City Sprouts," Gengenbach says.

Despite the challenges brought on by 2020, she says City Sprouts is thankful for the hard work of the team and community to adapt to difficult circumstances.

"We are full of gratitude for all that has been possible this year, thanks to our amazing funders, donors, volunteers and partners," Gengenbach says. "And extra kudos to our incredible staff and board who showed resilience, creativity, determination and passion as we faced many big changes and unknowns. Let us never forget the spirit of collaboration that made it all possible."

Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button
Slide title

Write your caption here

Button

< Older Post Newer Post >