In Cedar Rapids there are a group of people passionate about their local neighborhood. Matthew 25 runs a nonprofit that is built on foundations of food, housing and education. While their vision is broader than just food, the concept of feeding a community flows throughout all of what they do.
Established in 2007, Matthew 25 has a number of food education programs that integrate directly with the local community; an indoor Urban Farm with education activities, a high school program that hires 15 young people, a ‘pay-it-forward’ cafe, and a weekly farmers market.
Cultivate Hope has four different hydroponic growing systems that they work with, including a ZipGrow Education Rack. “We go into schools and are able to do lessons about hydroponic nutrients, seeding, transplanting, and harvesting with students from preschool age all the way through to eight grade students”, explains Greig.
“At the end of a cycle of growing lettuce, we have a salad party where we make healthy ranch dressing and eat the lettuce that we grew ourselves. It has been amazing to see how fast students have caught on to the ideas of soilless growing, and hydroponics in general, and I think it is broadening their knowledge of the food system,” says Greig.
Matthew 25 also has a ZipGrow FarmWall™ on display in their co-working space, with the food produced travelling only a few feet away to the pay-it-forward ‘Groundswell Cafe’. At this cafe, guests can round up their bill to the nearest dollar, or make a donation to help pay for a meal for someone who can’t afford it.
Greig often hears from the involved students about how much they enjoy working with ZipGrow™ systems. “It’s incredible to see young minds really getting engaged with the growing process and being able to reap the rewards of growing their own produce. We love working within our community and with our young people to share the knowledge of how we can live more sustainably.”
For more information about Matthew 25 and what their team is doing to support sustainable food in their community visit https://www.hub25.org/.
If you would like to learn more about ZipGrow and how to help your community visit www.ZipGrow.com or email [email protected] with any questions you may have.
