Boys & Girls Clubs

DSC02186_Edited.jpg
 

Freight Farms works with Boys & Girls Clubs to create community-centered programs.

Target health and wellness, job skills, mental health, education, and more.

 

Webinar

How to Activate Community, Donors & Curriculum With a Freight Farm

Hear from a Club with three Freight Farms!

Get concrete tips and tricks in this webinar featuring Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South:

  • How to leverage funding opportunities

  • How to engage volunteers

  • Essentials for farm program sustainability

  • Curriculum ideas for kids grades K–12+

Access the recording:

What I need to do is provide kids with food that is healthy and nutritious, and feed kids. That food insecurity piece is key for us, so that’s number one. Number two is I need to promote volunteerism in the community and people giving back and helping others. Lastly, I need to educate people about where their food comes from. Those are the three pillars of our program and what is most important.
— Derek Heim, President & CEO of BGC of Metro South
Five young adults work in tandem to transplant seedlings

Serve your mission

An engaging platform for growing plants, knowledge, and healthy kids.

Education

Authentic hands-on learning opportunities in an engaging environment

Social Emotional Learning

A platform for youth to connect with peers and adults and learn essential SEL skills

STEM Learning

Make STEM learning fun and tangible

Mental Health

The farm is a safe space for encouraging mental well-being and personal growth

Food Access

Reduce food insecurity by providing steady access to fresh, healthy food

Workforce Development

Give older Club members a valuable employment opportunity working in the farm


 

Learn about the impact three Freight Farms have had on Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South!

The Greenery S shipping container farm

Enhance your Club

Our flagship container farm, the Greenery™ S, can easily be easily integrated into any Club to amplify existing programs or jump-start new initiatives.

Space-efficient

40’ x 8’ x 9.5’, the farm can easily be placed by your Club

-40°F–120°F temperature range

Advanced insulated container means you can grow food year-round in any climate

Automation software

24/7 farm monitoring through our farmhand® automation software, so you can remain focused on the kids

8,800 plant sites

Plants are vertically grown in plant panels equipped with overhead drip irrigation hydroponics until they’re ready for harvest

2+ tons produce

Annual production (up to 6 tons for established operations)

500+ crop varieties

Teach kids to grow with classic varieties like lettuces or experiment with fun, non-traditional crops

5 gallons of water/day

A closed-loop system circulates fortified water in the farm to bring plants all the nutrients and hydration they need

Engaging

Incorporate the farm into your own programming or use our pre-developed curriculum


We’ve honestly had an overall very positive response when it comes to the kids making salads at the salad bar. They’re usually really into that, especially when we grow things like oakleaf and butterhead lettuce — stuff that’s different colors that they haven’t really seen before.
— Max Fontes, Farm Manager at BGC of Metro South

Webinar Recording

How to Enhance Programming at Your Boys & Girls Club With a Vertical Farm

Learn from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South

Recorded: April 3, 2023

BGC of Metro South shares:

  • How they started their farming program

  • The impact of their Freight Farms on food access, education, and volunteerism

  • Managing a Freight Farm as a busy organization

  • What they’re growing

 

Education Program Guide & Curriculum

Get our guidance on creating impactful container farm-based programming and access sample lesson plans.

Three students and a staff member form BGC Capital Area observing seedlings

Funding

Grants and partnerships with funders are ideal ways to bring a farm to your organization. Explore potential funding opportunities on our financing page.

Fill out the form to speak with a representative from Freight Farms about bringing a container farm to your Boys & Girls Club!

Also, get access to our BGC Booklet, which dives deeper into our technology and the potential that Freight Farms present for Boys & Girls Clubs.

Download our BGC booklet using the form
    • Learning & Engagement

    • Food Access

    • Workforce Development

    • Mental Health

    • Community & Culture

    • Our Products & Services

    • Why Freight Farms

    • Curriculum development

    • Budget planning

    • Operational planning

    • Crop advising

    • Letters of support

    • Training and lifetime support, so that you can operate the farm with ease and involve youth with confidence

 
Freight Farms at the BGCA National Conference

Top 7 FAQs From Boys & Girls Clubs

We heard so many great questions from Clubs at the BGCA National Conference. Find the questions and their answers on our blog!