GROWING
SOLUTIONS FARM
Planting Skills. Growing Futures.
​Growing Solutions Farm Stand
2200 W Campbell Park Dr, Chicago
Wednesdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Fridays 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
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Old Post Office Farm Stand
433 W Van Buren St, Chicago
STAY POSTED FOR OUR 2026 FARM STAND DATES
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The Circle of Impact
Growing Solutions Farm is more than just a farm. It’s a place where young adults gain hands-on job experience, learn responsibility, and discover how their work feeds neighbors in need.
Take a look inside the daily work that creates real impact for our participants and our community.
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​​Growing Solutions Farm is a 1.2-acre urban farm in the Illinois Medical District that provides hands-on job training for Chicago public high school transition students (ages 16–22) with autism and related disabilities.
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Students learn core agricultural tasks — harvesting, soil preparation, raised-bed building, food safety, and compost maintenance — while developing transferable job skills like communication, teamwork, and completing tasks independently.
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About 50 West Side students train during the school year, with another 20–25 participating each summer through One Summer Chicago.
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Produce from the farm is sold at weekly farm stands and to local restaurants and wholesalers. An eight-box CSA also supports the farm, with all proceeds directly benefiting vocational training.
Nearly 90% of the students at Growing Solutions Farm come from low-income families facing food insecurity. Each week during the growing season, they take home fresh, nutritious produce grown on the farm. A portion of the harvest is also donated to Grace Seeds Ministry, Chicago’s Guest House, and Marillac St. Vincent Food Pantry, extending the farm’s impact beyond its students.
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What began in 2013 as a 900-square-foot pilot program quickly grew after welcoming students from West Side public high schools. Recognizing the need to serve more young adults with autism and related disabilities, we expanded the farm’s footprint.
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Today, with nearly 7,000 square feet of growing space, the farm provides consistent, hands-on vocational training, equipping students with essential skills to gain their first job.
THE SENSORY GARDEN
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The Windy City Lions Club helped establish the Sensory Garden at Growing Solutions Farm in 2021, creating a space where individuals with and without autism can engage their senses in a low-stress environment.
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In 2022, NEXT for AUTISM funded an expansion, enabling volunteers from the Lions Club to plant more than 150 new plants. Each year, volunteers from the Lions Club and other organizations return to maintain and enhance the garden, ensuring it remains a welcoming and enriching space for all.
