[Communications] {AUA} October Opportunities with Star Farm! Grow food and build community with us! 🎃🌱☁️

[Stephanie Dunn]

Wrapping up another amazing season!

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[image: Star Farm Chicago logo: a hand-drawn flower in the center of
handwritten text that reads, "Urban. Organic. Love. Star Farm Chicago, Back
of the Yards, est. 2016]
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Fall is Officially Here!

October 2024 Updates

The weather may be getting colder, but Star Farm is still busy growing food
and building community! Check out our autumn offerings at 61st St. Market,
and visit us at the Star Farm Little Store for family-friendly workshops
and movie nights!
Thank you for a Spectacular Soiree!

We would like to thank the entire Star Farm community for another wonderful
September Soiree! Attendees enjoyed a beautiful local food buffet and live
music, and we celebrated the successes of our Incubator Farmers and
Disability Farmers. With the help of our generous donors and sponsors, we
raised *$25,000 *to continue our mission of increasing food access in Back
of the Yards and beyond.


During the Soiree, we also released our 2022-2023 Combined Annual report.
Check out the report *here*
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!
2022-2023 Combined Annual Report
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Upcoming Events: Register for a Community Food Thinking Session with Star
Farm!
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We invite all of our community partners and members to come together to
learn more about our new online Link program and brainstorm ways to get
this information out to our community! This event will include live
English-Spanish interpretation. Register using the button below!
RSVP for Community Thinking Session!
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Join our Last Family Garden Day!

Every 4th Wednesday of the month through October, we have opened the farm
for Family Garden Days! Our last Family Garden Day will be on *Wednesday,
October 23rd, 3-6pm, *at 5152 S. Carpenter St
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/5152+S.+Carpenter+St?entry=gmail&source=g>.,
featuring a fun Intro to Rock Climbing by *Chicago Adventure Therapy*
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*
Volunteer at Saturday Morning Star Farm Field Days
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Join Star Farm for a fun volunteer field day twice a month, all autumn
long! RSVP for any of the following dates using the button below!


*Star Farm Field Days 2024*

*5152 S. Carpenter*


Saturday, October 12th, 9am-12pm

Saturday, October 26th, 9am-12pm
Saturday, November 2nd, 9am-12pm
Saturday, November 16th, 9am-12pm
RSVP for Star Farm Field Days!
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See you at the Fresh Market and Shared Kitchen!

This month, we have been having a great time at the Star Farm Little Store!
Every Wednesday from 10am-1pm, we’ve been sharing delicious, nutritious
recipes like Pozole Verde with neighbors during our weekly Cooking Demos.
Every person who attends gets 1 free item, and we match Link!
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We’ve also launched our Family Fun Friday events, which include Family
Movie Nights and Family Fun Workshops! All events are FREE, just register
using the links below!
Come out for Family Movie Night!
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We’ve already enjoyed two movie nights for *Inside Out 2 *and *Ratatouille*,
and we are so excited to watch *The Jungle Book *on Friday, October 18th,
4-7pm! RSVP using the button below!
RSVP for Family Movie Night
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Learn Something New at Family Fun Friday Workshops
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We also hope to see you at our Microgreens Workshop next * Friday, October
11th, 4-7pm*, where you can learn how to grow your own microgreens indoors
and get a free seed starter kit! RSVP using the link below!
RSVP for Family Fun Friday Workshops!
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Sign up for Star Farm CSA!

Are you ready to start getting the best of local, seasonal produce
delivered to your door? Sign up now for weekly or bi-weekly deliveries! We
offer multiple payment options, including the option to try out a one-time
CSA delivery.
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September CSAs were very fruitful this month. We were able to highlight a
lot of what we were growing on the farm as well as produce from other
farmers. Thank you so much to Guadalupe and Shallon, Star Farm team,
Chicago Commons team, Ellis Family Farms, Mick Klug, Nichols Farms, Down at
the Farms, and Closed Loops for their combined efforts for the CSA shares
this month. CSA shares this month were packed with peppers, green onions,
tomatoes, arugula, green beans, beats, eggplants, zucchini, radishes,
potatoes, apples, pears, plums, raspberries, grapes, and papalo!
2024 CSA Options
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Link Double-Value CSA Now Available!
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We are now offering CSAs for purchase through Link! If you receive Link,
these double-value CSA shares offer the same amount as you would get in a
regular CSA but for half the price! These can be purchased on our website
and will be delivered on *Thursdays between 10am-2pm*. We are so excited to
be able to offer this!
Purchase a Double-Value CSA with Link!
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Star Farm Pop-up Markets

Pop-up markets have been in full swing this month! With every week of
September packed with multiple pop ups! We’ve continued our partnerships
with multiple senior residences around the Chicagoland area to provide
fresh, local produce to seniors who were able to use vouchers from the
Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (SFMNP).


Additionally, we’ve also partnered with the Chicago Park District putting
on multiple pop up markets at their Kelvyn Park and Columbus Park locations
where hundreds of kids and families were able to come out and use CPD
vouchers to purchase produce! We finished up our summer partnership with
Chicago Commons where we joined them on their pop-ups at multiple locations
serving families around the city! As always, we were at the 61st Street
Farmers Market offering fresh vegetables, herbs, flowers, and of course,
tamales.
Shop Star Farm at 61st Street!
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We’ve had another successful month at the 61st Street Farmers Market! We
are there *every Saturday, 9am-2pm, through October 26th* selling a variety
of vegetables, jams, salsas, and tamales from Ms. Maria!
What’s Growing at the Farm?

We have turned over our summer tomatoes and peppers to cold-hardy fall
crops. Get ready for sweet spinach, kale, arugula, bok choy, radishes,
beets, and carrots - perfect for cozy, cold-weather cooking!
Join us in Welcoming New Farm Manager Shallon!

Last month, our amazing Production Manager of three years, Guadalupe
Garcia, transitioned out of Star Farm and onto new opportunities. While
this goodbye was incredibly bittersweet, we feel lucky and excited to
introduce you to our new Farm Manager, *Shallon Malfeo!*


Shallon has worked in sustainable agriculture for the last four years, from
growing vegetables at the University of Illinois’ 7 acre Student
Sustainable Farm, to managing an indoor hydroponic farm in the south
suburbs of Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign with a B.S in Environmental Sustainability, B.A in
Political Science, and a Legal Studies Minor in Food Security and
Economics.


After spending a year at the Student Sustainable Farm, Shallon developed a
strong passion for growing healthy and nutritious foods, especially in
urban areas as it has become increasingly difficult to access them. As a
Farm Manager, Shallon is looking forward to fostering community education
and partnership, working with volunteer groups, and of course, growing lots
and lots of veggies!


In her free time, Shallon spends a lot of time skateboarding, reading, and
taking long walks with her dog.


Georgia Agriculture Students Visit Star Farm!

A few weeks ago, students joined us all the way from Georgia for a farm
tour. These students are members of the Agronomy Club at Abraham Baldwin
Agricultural College (ABAC), and Star Farm was just the first stop on their
tour of farms across the Upper Midwest. They asked lots of in-depth
questions about our programs and growing practices, then they helped pack
produce bags for youth athletes at the Chicago Park District!
Star Farm at Dominican University Caritas Veritas Symposium

Our staff members Kelly, Grace, and A.Z. had the pleasure of speaking to
first-year Dominican University students at the annual Caritas Veritas
Symposium! Alongside presenters from *DU Feeds*
<https://starfarmchicago.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=238af3b343893d6a413d999fb&id=2239fedfbc&e=03b3551d17>,
*ELLAS*
<https://starfarmchicago.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=238af3b343893d6a413d999fb&id=dc2ddb98fc&e=03b3551d17>,
and *Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago*
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Star Farm shared information about our food equity work and how students
can get involved. We are excited to welcome Dominican students to a Civic
Engagement Day later this month, where they will have the option of joining
us for farmwork, CSA and food pantry packing, or a Cooking Demo!
Celebrating our Incubator Farmers

We were very happy to celebrate the successes of our Incubator Farmers and
highlight Tierra Y Paz with an award during the September Soiree! We also
had the pleasure of purchasing *50 pounds *of rainbow chard from one of our
Incubator Farmers, Jessica, which we distributed to food pantries in the
neighborhood! Thank you to our Incubator Farmers for co-creating a
resilient local food system!
Volunteer With Star Farm!

Three corporate volunteer groups came out this month and helped a lot at
our Carpenter and Wolcott sites! Two of the groups came from our volunteer
partner Bain: one group helped fill our community raised beds, and the
other helped clean out our tomato vines and prep beds for seeding and
planting. The community beds are an exciting addition to our Carpenter
farm, and they will be available for community members to steward in the
spring. Neighbors of the farm, keep an eye out this winter for community
garden sign-ups!


We also want to give a huge shout out to our volunteer group at Fidelity
with Chicago Cares who came out in torrential rain to support our garden
bed cleanup at our Wolcott site!
Volunteer Sign-up

Interested in volunteering with us? We welcome volunteers every week, rain
or shine! Volunteer hours are typically anytime between 9am-2pm,
Monday-Friday.


During this season the farm is harvesting, planting, weeding, and more.
There is never a shortage of work, and all hands help!
Volunteer Sign Up Form
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Join Our Board of Directors

We are also recruiting *Board Members *for fiscal year 2025! Please
complete our *inquiry form*
<https://starfarmchicago.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=238af3b343893d6a413d999fb&id=adae0774bb&e=03b3551d17>
if
you are interested in applying for any of the positions below:


Treasurer
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     ||      Secretary
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    ||      Vice President
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     ||      Member at Large
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Board Member Inquiry Form
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[image: Corporate impact day flyer. Text reads, "Join us for a captivating
corporate workday event at our urban farm in Back of the Yards! Experience
a workday filled with purpose and productivity as your team makes a
tangible difference on our farms and in our community. Activities your team
could provide support in: prepping garden beds, planting & harvesting,
cleaning, building. Join us for a day of purpose, teamwork, and the joy of
giving back! Contact us: 773-782-0163, kelly at starfarmchicago.com]
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Is your organization looking for a way to give back to the community? We’d
love to see you out on the farm!
Corporate Work Day Interest Form
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Donate if you can via check, through your donor advised fund, Benevity, or
directly via PayPal
Donate Directly via PayPal
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*We love Snail Mail :) *

Send gifts directly to

Star Farm Chicago, 501c3

934 w. 50th Place
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/934+w.+50th+Place+%0D%0A+Chicago+IL+60609?entry=gmail&source=g>

Chicago IL 60609
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/934+w.+50th+Place+%0D%0A+Chicago+IL+60609?entry=gmail&source=g>


[image: A person spray painting details on a flower on the side of a truck]
<https://www.google.com/maps/search/934+w.+50th+Place+%0D%0A+Chicago+IL+60609?entry=gmail&source=g>
Email Star Farm! <starfarmchicago at gmail.com>

See you at the Garden Soon!

Don’t forget to check out all the amazing ways you can get and stay
involved with Star Farm! Apply to one of our open job positions, volunteer,
bring your team or class for a fieldtrip, purchase from our wholesale
produce offerings, visit us at the Farmers Market or Retail Storefront.
[image: A garden with a shipping container painted pink and purple, with
three large, realistic butterflies across its length]
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