Farm–City Market Basket - Order Form (pdf - 52K)

Good for our Health & Good for the Environment

• The nutritional value of fruits and veggies decreases with each day after harvest. It is common for the produce we purchase at the grocery store to be several weeks old.
• Fresh-picked produce is more nutritious and tastes better. During the growing season, much of the Market Basket produce will arrive at our school 48 hours after harvest — fresh from the field!
• The small, family–run farms in the Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative are paid a fair price for their products helping keep their farms viable. They also are trained in sustainable agricultural practices by Growing Power’s experts.
• Market Basket produce is about as local as we can get. During the Midwest’s growing season, most produce comes from Rainbow Farmers Cooperative (RFC) farms in Illinois and Wisconsin. In the colder months, produce comes from RFC farms in more temperate states, like Mississippi. As necessary to meet demand, produce from both programs is supplemented by wholesalers.
• The Market Basket program is made available through a collaborative effort between Seven Generations Ahead and Growing Power.
• 1. Seven Generations Ahead is an Oak Park-based non-profit organization dedicated to building healthy and sustainable communities in the Chicago Area.
  2. Growing Power is a Milwaukee-based, national non-profit organization and land trust dedicated to the development of Community Food Systems that provide high-quality, safe, healthy, affordable food for all residents in the community.
  3. Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative (RFC) is a marketing co-op that provides much of the food for Growing Power’s Market Basket program. RFC was organized to allow small conventional, sustainable and organic farmers to sell their fresh produce and farm products at fair and equitable prices. There are presently 300 small family farms as members of RFC — many of who are from minority and immigrant communities. The contents of the Farm–City Basket and the Sustainable Organic bag may derive from different farms within the co-op, and, as such, they will vary based upon the growers included and upon the season.

Sign up for our Farm–City Market Basket program and get a BIG bag or BIG ORGANIC bag of locally grown, seasonal fresh fruits, veggies and farm products delivered straight from the farm. Items vary, depending on what’s being picked that week. Orders aren’t limited to Hatch families – tell your friends and neighbors! Additional order forms are available at the Hatch main entrance [or view and print forms here (pdf - 52K)].