Green City Market is paving a new path for the local food economy in the Midwest by deepening our support for small family farmers, educating consumers and the next generation of eaters, and increasing access to local, healthy, sustainable food.

"Your donations will go to help farmers find new sales outlets — it’s a reality that [farmers] are just working to survive another year. I think sometimes we take for granted that the farmers market is always going to be there. This is a huge wake up call. This is all the more reason to support a local, sustainable food system. We have to move towards a more local food system, and I think Green City Market is at the forefront of that, and always has been.” - Abby, owner of Mick Klug Farm in St. Joseph, MI

Read Abby's story and how Green City Market rapidly adapted to develop and launch a new e-commerce platform for our local, sustainable growers just one week after Governor Pritzker announced Illinois' shelter-in-place order.

“Edible Education changed my lifestyle and my values. I am more conscientious of what I put into my body than before. I am cooking more for myself rather than my parents. I am incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet... I owe everything to the Edible Education program as I feel it shaped me as a person. I feel more connected to the environment. I am more mindful of reducing waste." - Carly, former student in Green City Market's Edible Education class 

Read Carly's story and learn more about Green City Market's Edible Education program — what we like to call "modern-day home ec" — practical, hands-on culinary skills with a focus on positive habits like knife safety and composting, helping students understand how what they eat, cook, and throw away impacts the future of our city (and our planet). 

Patricia has been shopping with Green City Market for a decade. “There’s nothing like Green City Market,” she remarks on her experience. Patricia uses Illinois Link benefits to get her groceries and has struggled to find affordable, nutritious food, especially after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. “I came as close as you can get to being on the street,” Patricia shared with our team, “My life turned upside down... Green City Market’s Link matching program is one of the breaks that kept me from falling all the way to the bottom.” - Patricia, GCM shopper and Link program participant 

Read Patricia's story and learn more about Green City Market's food access programs and learn more about Green City Market's food access programs, where we welcome and match Link/SNAP funds dollar-for-dollar up to $15 per market day. 

Guests and supporters of Chef BBQ 2020 would have raised at least $180,000 this year to support GCM’s nonprofit programs, including hosting our year-round farmers markets, in-school Edible Education, Link/SNAP-matching and more. Despite Chef BBQ’s cancellation due to COVID-19, Green City Market must continue to serve those impacted by its mission — give now to ensure local, sustainable food is available and accessible to all Chicagoans for years to come.