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IMPACT REPORT 2024

Letter from our Leader

Dear GCM community,

For the past 26 years, supporters like you have partnered with Green City Market to help secure the future of food across the Midwest. By championing local farmers, educating our community on the importance of local food, and expanding access to local sustainable food, we nourish our neighbors and safeguard the future of our local food system for generations to come. In 2024, Green City Market navigated a challenging year of transition and change, yet through it all, our commitment to our mission and to the Chicago community remained steadfast – thanks to the continued support from our community.

Thanks to you, our markets thrived — welcoming nearly 632,000 visitors and supporting 55+ local farmers who nourish our community. We facilitated 500+ chef visits, helping farmers build business-to-business revenue streams and strengthening their connection to Chicago’s vibrant culinary community.

We reimbursed more than $370,000 in SNAP benefits, serving 1,093 customers from 176 zip codes a 527% increase since 2021. We reached over 800 youth and families through our

Edible Education programming, and we recovered more than 13,000 pounds of fresh food to donate back into the community through local mutual aid organizations, community fridges, and food pantries.

The work we’ve accomplished this past year has been nothing short of inspiring – and it’s only the beginning.

As the urgency to address hunger and climate change, and the need to weather economic uncertainty grows, so too does our commitment to fulfilling our shared vision. With your continued support, we are building a stronger, more sustainable, and more equitable local food system one that nourishes every Chicagoan and uplifts the farmers who feed us.

Together, we’re not just responding to challenges we’re shaping the future of food in Chicago and beyond. Thank you for believing in this mission and for being a vital part of our community Here’s to 2025 - the best is yet to come!

With gratitude,

Mitch Weinstein

Chair, Board of Directors

Green City Market

Our Shared Vision

Green City Market envisions a future where sustainable farmers are thriving. In this future, everyone — in our community and across the nation — knows who grows their food, how it's grown, and why this knowledge matters. We imagine a future where all neighbors regardless of zip code or income level have access to locally-grown, sustainably-produced food. To make this vision a reality, we operate several programs. Read on for highlights from several of these programs to learn how your support has impacted our shared pursuit of this vision.

Our participating chefs at Green City Market's 2024 Peak Season Celebration

Culinary Connections

Strengthening sustainable farmers' businesses by serving as a conduit to the culinary community

With the vast majority of local food sales in the US coming from wholesale

opportunities like sales to restaurants, business to business (B2B) connections often

hold the key to stability and success for farmers. However, just two of the largest foodservice management companies dominate the business of restaurant sourcing.

Your partnership with Green City Market helps connect local farmers with restaurant operators to shift business potential from giant

To support Chicago’s vibrant farm-to-table restaurant culture, Green City Market offers complimentary priority parking for chefs and restaurant buyers to increase to our markets for the culinary community. In 2024, Chicagoland restaurants attended Green City Market 511 times, with 273 unique Chicago restaurants visiting to build relationships with and source directly from our farmers.

116 restaurants participated in Chef BBQ

Club Sprouts is one of our favorite parts of Green City Market.

Watching my young daughter try seasonal produce, learn how food is grown, and get excited about visiting the market each week has been such a joy. It's hands-on learning in the best possible way.

Club Sprouts

- Meggan Teague, parent

Fostering understanding of the local food system in Chicago's youth

In 2024, your support of Green City Market’s youth program, Club Sprouts, ensured that 380 children learned about how to support the local food system and its relationship to our environment.

Farm to Market Field Trips

Creating hands-on experiences with sustainable agriculture for students

40% of teens aged 13-17 say they have little to no knowledge on where their food comes from, and yet 84% said they would like to learn about the topic from someone who works in agriculture.

Youth across the country are eager to learn more about the food system.

In 2024, Green City Market’s Farm to Market Field Trips brought 433 students out of the classroom to develop relationships with local farmers and learn about how food gets from the farm to their plate.

Ten of the 15 groups were from Chicago Public Schools, with priority given to schools where at least 75%

with GCM’s commitment to equitable access to food education.