Chicago trolley tour transforming access to fresh food

CHICAGO - Chicago’s Austin neighborhood has been called a food desert.

In a Fox 32 special report, Terrence Lee looked at a new program that’s highlighting a number of local fresh food sources growing right under our noses.

It's not your typical trolley tour.

"I think that it’s absolutely beautiful," said Cynthia Streeter, a trolley tour participant. "Beautiful, beautiful. I think it’s a beautiful program. I didn’t think nothing like this even existed."

It is about some fun and some function too.

"I think it’s wonderful" said Darryl Bolling-Petross, another trolley tour participant. "Doing the garden thing."

"We’re in a food dessert in this area, so you need to know how to grow your own vegetables. Any food that’s all," he added.

That’s one of the reasons why the Farm to Table trolley was started this year.

"I know lots of people that have lots of health problems," said Crystal Dyer of Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures. "Kidney disease, heart disease, etcetera. So I contacted DePaul University, who I have a connection with from prior projects, and asked them if they could do a health disparity mapping for me."

Fox 32 caught up with Dyer at the Austin Town Hall Market. That’s one place where you can catch the trolley. Dyer is one of the driving forces behind it.

Veah Larde is the other.

"I think it’s an awesome initiative because it's helping people to understand that even in our community there are places where you can get fresh fruits and vegetables," Larde said.

Larde, market manager at the Austin Town Hall City Market, said another benefit of the trolley tour is being able to expose the area’s youngest residents to the gardening and growing process.

"I think when I see the little kids come into the gardens and watch them light up, that amazes me. Especially when they see how zucchini grows. Because everybody is like ‘oh, how does zucchini really grow?’ And I’m like, ‘do you see it on that stalk? Do you see how we wind it around there?’ And that’s the part that makes me happy," Larde said.

"We have a lot of families that come and the kids will be like, ‘I want an apple.’ And so they’ll leave with an apple. Or they want to know about what a specific fruit or vegetable is," said Dominque Stevens, senior manager at Windy City Harvest.

Stevens is part of the team behind PCC Austin Farm. It’s one of the many local stops the trolley makes.

"We grow tomatoes, so we grow cherry tomatoes. We have green tomatoes growing. We have a lot of greens, collards, mustard. Turnips, beets," Stevens said.

"I think the biggest highlight is probably this hoop house. Because of the way that our tomatoes are trellised right up into the roof.  A lot of people have not seen that," Stevens added.

Stevens also said this program is beneficial because it spreads awareness about the fresh food options in the neighborhood.

"What we noticed is that a lot of people don’t realize some of the resources that are available in their neighborhood. They don’t know that there are farms located on the same block as them. They don’t know that there are farmstands that are close to them," Stevens said.

There are roughly 23 community gardens in the Austin neighborhood with at least 10 of them growing only fruits and vegetables.

Taking a ride on the Farm to Table trolley can make it easier for West Side residents to get fresh food to their tables.

"I have two kids. And the idea of going to the grocery store, and getting groceries and then having to get on the train or on the bus, and go home with those groceries is really daunting. And so if I had a trolley that I could just get all this. Get on the trolley and go from my home to these different sites.  15:04:41 to buy fresh produce. That makes it more accessible to me," Stevens said.

"We grow a number of things," said Kenyana Walker, youth program coordinator at Build Chicago’s Farm and Peace Garden. "We grow corn, we have tomatoes, we do zucchini, we have squash."

Walker said this program allows them to show case not only their produce but the kids who work there too.

"They’ll take a tour of the garden. It’s usually a youth-led tour where the youths tell them about what they’ve learned, what’s in the beds, how they feel about stuff," Walker said.

"This is a youth outreach organization that helps at risk youth, unaffiliated with gangs, and find career paths," Walker added.

Teens and trolley passengers aren't the only one reaping the benefits from this urban farm when it comes to fresh food.

"There’s a senior satellite center right across the street from us. So, they get a lot of them. And then there’s the parent university installation over at Michelle Clark High School that we give them some. And then again, community members come through. They get we don’t sell anything. So, whatever we have and harvested for the week we’ll bag it up and give it away. And that’s it," Walker said.

The trolley only runs twice a month and will stop running for the season at the end of October. It’s also free.

For details on where to sign up for the trolley, click here.