Happenings
Join us for our 5th Annual Farmraiser! A family-friendly, community-based event with activities and food for all ages celebrating the harvest at our Urban Farm.
Special thanks to all the individuals that are making this event possible!
Schedule:
4:15 pm-5: 00 pm | There will be a guided tour from our delightful Executive Director, Gretchen Mead, including a Q&A session of the vision for the Farm and FarmHouse. The tour will conclude with the official unveiling of our Farm House mural by our rockstar mural artist, Stacey Williams-Ng!5:00 pm-7: 00 pm | The Farmraiser will feature food incorporating produce from our farm. Dishes will be prepared by local Milwaukee chefs from restaurants including:
Celesta
Black Husky Brewing and Milwaukee Brewing Company will have a beer on tap.5:00pm-7:30pm | We will have music throughout the evening provided by DJ LoLo MKE and wrap up the event with a fire and poetry set & open mic hosted by our very own farmer & artist, Samuel Alford, featuring Milwaukee Poets Kamiya Cann and Mario the Poet!
Victory Garden Initiative has had an amazing year of growth and we’re so excited to share it with you, our community! Don’t miss out on supporting our mission in creating a community-based, socially just, environmentally sustainable, nutritious food system for all. We encourage you to invite your friends and neighbors – all are welcome!
New this year is a year-your After-School Garden Club at our Urban Farm Campus and at nearby Pierce Elementary School! We will be meeting at each location twice a week from September-June for 2 hours after school programming sessions that focus on youth empowerment, nutrition, cooking, gardening, environmental literacy, and food system awareness.
This program is free and open to youth in the Harambee/Riverwest neighborhoods or who are enrolled at Pierce Elementary School.
The Gather and Create Campaign catalyzes the creation of a food and community hub with a new Victory Garden Initiative home and headquarters.
As Victory Garden Initiatives mission to help people grow their own food has been made manifest in every neighborhood, in parks, at schools, at churches and on empty lots through many of our community events, we recognize our need to reflect inward, as an organization and consider the potency of our work. We recognize a need for a home of our own, where we congregate, share meals, learn new skills, and strengthen our connection to our mission.
Join us in our mission to expand our operations to better the community and garden!
Click Here to Donate to the Capital Campaign
The building at 249 E. Concordia, located across the street from The Victory Garden Urban Farm, was originally a Pabst Pub, making it both historic, and easily accessible for the public. This building will be transformed into the Farmhouse – a place to Gather and Create, helping people grow their own food.
By relocating and expanding closer to our urban garden, we plan to: Extend serving families with Community Supported Agriculture membership produce boxes. Welcome families with weekly community farm to table meals Provide children a healthy summer and after-school snack as part of an afterschool homework club program. Serve community members at Farm-to-Table cafe. Increase farm-to-restaurant sales. Participate as Farmers Market vendors with SNAP accessibility. Enhance workforce development to include green infrastructure careers, food system careers, and extended internships. Implement a Food System Small Business incubation program with solidified partnerships.
| Phase I | Phase II |
|---|---|
| Building acquisition | Commercial kitchen |
| Renovation of office and event space | Expand workforce development |
| Office move | Begin food system small business start-up program |
| Implementation of new programs |
Progress:
The building was purchased on April 13th.
The Future for the Farm House:
Explore What People Are Saying
The year that the Farm first started growing food across the street from my house, I had just gotten out of the hospital. I was very sick with sickle cell anemia and sometimes I felt ike I was going to die. Watching the garden grow out my window, and then getting to spend time there when I could finally walk again truly saved my life. The people who work there are so generous and open with their time and their lives. I just love them all.
Our Supporters and Partners
