NOTE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR & BOARD PRESIDENT

Dear Community,

It is often said that farming is a profession of hope. Hope that seeds will germinate, the rains will fall, and the harvest season will be bountiful. At Elawa Farm Foundation, we watched with hope as our programs came to fruition and impacted so many in the 2022 season. This impact was made possible by the support of community members, like you.

In 2022, we updated our mission at Elawa Farm Foundation to reflect our values and priorities as an organization. Today, our mission is to steward a historic farm that enriches the greater Lake County community as a center for experiential learning to broaden access to education, nutritious food, and our local food system. This mission drives us to ensure our healthy harvest, engaging programs, and farm grounds are accessible to all of our community.

One such project that put this mission into action was the development of our ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible Discovery Garden. In summer 2022, we broke ground on this project to offer greater accessibility of our farm grounds and develop an outdoor learning space to host our educational programs. Now, community members of all ages and abilities can benefit from the therapeutic nature of gardening and participate in experiential learning opportunities throughout the farm.

We broadened access to our nutritious food by donating fresh produce to more than 2,500 families across Lake County, as well as donating nearly 1,000 meals from our kitchen to local food pantries. We welcomed more than 6,000 community members to our weekly market and served more than 1,160 local youth and adults through various Seed to Plate programs, including summer camps, free activities for families, and bilingual (English/Spanish) workshops.

Hope springs eternal at the farm. Through your support, you have deepened our impact at Elawa Farm Foundation season after season. Thank you.

With gratitude,

Elizabeth Borland Blodgett

Laura Calvert Executive Director

Elizabeth Borland Blodgett Board President

Our Mission

Built in 1917, Elawa Farm is a historic farm located in Lake Forest, Illinois. Elawa Farm Foundation was formed in 2002 as a non-profit organization to raise support for the historic restoration of the farm estate and activate the campus with community programming. Today, our mission is to steward a historic farm that enriches the greater Lake County community as a center for experiential learning to broaden access to education, nutritious food, and our local food system. We gather community through food and agriculture with a sustainable farm, weekly market, learning kitchen, and educational programming for youth and adults.

Our Collective Impact

To achieve our mission to broaden access to education, nutritious food, and our local food system, we led the following initiatives in 2022. We were able to accomplish this important work through the support of our community and organizational partners.

Educational Initiatives

We strive to deliver engaging and impactful programs and community events. Last year, we offered 118 programs with 2,073 participants in attendance to meet the educational and recreational needs of our community members, including mushroom growing at home, butchery classes, seasonal cooking, summer camps for kids, and more.

Food Access

Over the past three years, we have partnered with BellaRu Catering to distribute locally-sourced produce and other food staples to individuals and families in need. In partnership with the Chicago Region Food System Fund, we distributed over 2,500 grocery bags at pop-up events across Lake County in 2022.

Community Outreach Bilingual Programs

We traveled to 7 locations with 282 participants in attendance to deliver impactful programs, including gardening activities and cooking demonstrations. Thank you to North Chicago Community Partners, Waukegan Park District, Family Service of Lake County, and Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center for partnering with us.

To broaden access to our programs to our neighbors across Lake County, we offered bilingual workshops grounded in cooking demonstrations, gardening, and language immersion (English/Spanish) to 30 individuals, including senior groups and local youth by means of community outreach programs and our bilingual summer camps.