There is a vibrant and broad local food movement in La Crosse County and its communities. From food security to food quality, programs, organizations and initiatives are working to ensure local residents have access to high quality, clean and safe food that is sustainably grown and transported.
COMMUNITY GARDENS & GROWING OPERATIONS
Community Food Forest at the Y The Community Food Forest at the Y increases access to healthy food in our community through an urban, easily-replicable model. Located just south of Main Street along West Avernue in La Crosse, the Food Forest provides food, ideas, community gathering space, education and recreation opportunities, beauty, and healthy food.
Community Garden of Clearwater Farm: This community garden provides education, volunteer opportunities, and organically grown food to the local community. Volunteers help plant, maintain, and harvest. Partner organizations include the Onalaska Food Basket, Onalaska YMCA, and the Clearwater Farm Youth Education Gardens program
Get Active La Crosse: is a movement to change our community -- a change that challenges us to work together to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Get Active maintains a list of School Gardens in La Crosse.
GROW La Crosse: is a non-profit organization formed by enthusiastic parents and community members who connect children to health food and nature through school gardens and farm experiences.We currently maintain over 800 square feet of school gardens in the La Crosse school district and host farm experiences for hundreds of children. We also raise the funds required to sustain these programs through sponsorships, holding fundraisers, and writing grants.
Hillview Urban Agriculture: a non-profit grassroots organization that was formed in 2010 with the belief that everyone in our community should – and can – have access to healthy, local food. Hillview Urban Agriculture Center grew out of the Hillview Greenhouse Life Center that was established by Dr. Tom Klemond.Hillview Urban Agriculture Center holds the mission of creating a healthy community through a local, sustainable, and accessible food system.
Kane Street Community Garden: The first program initiated by The Hunger Task Force, the Kane Street
Community Garden, was established in 1998 and produced about 500 pounds
of vegetables. Since then, the Garden has grown in size to two city
blocks and produces, on average, 30,000 pounds of fresh,
organically-grown vegetables each year. Located on the corner of Kane and St. Cloud Streets on
the North side of La Crosse, the garden operates on land rented from the city of
La Crosse. Under the direction of the garden staff, hundreds of
volunteers assist with planting, weeding, and harvesting each season in
order to distribute free vegetables to the community. The garden is a
proud recipient of funding from the City of La Crosse through a
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
Onalaska/Mayo Community Garden: Located near the Onalaska Campus of Mayo Health system, this community space rents plots to those who would like to grow a garden in the Onalaska area.
Washburn Community Garden, founded in 2010, is on the 900 block of Division Street in La Crosse, on property owned by Mayo Clinic Health System—Franciscan Healthcare. The Washburn Neighborhood Association manages the area, which started with 18 gardens and has grown every year. In 2014 there were 54 gardens. One hundred percent of the garden-rental proceeds are donated to St. Clare Health Mission ($1,600 in 2014), and 10 percent of the harvest is donated to charities, food banks and families in need. In 2013, 1,300 pounds of produce was shared.
Info about farm to school
Info about waste to worms
Onalaska School Gardens: https://sites.google.com/a/onalaskaschools.com/onalaska-school-gardens/home
Farmers Markets
MORE RESOUCES
Homegrown School Gardens in Wisconsin Guide (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2014)
COMMUNITY GARDENS & GROWING OPERATIONS
Community Food Forest at the Y The Community Food Forest at the Y increases access to healthy food in our community through an urban, easily-replicable model. Located just south of Main Street along West Avernue in La Crosse, the Food Forest provides food, ideas, community gathering space, education and recreation opportunities, beauty, and healthy food.
Community Garden of Clearwater Farm: This community garden provides education, volunteer opportunities, and organically grown food to the local community. Volunteers help plant, maintain, and harvest. Partner organizations include the Onalaska Food Basket, Onalaska YMCA, and the Clearwater Farm Youth Education Gardens program
Get Active La Crosse: is a movement to change our community -- a change that challenges us to work together to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Get Active maintains a list of School Gardens in La Crosse.
GROW La Crosse: is a non-profit organization formed by enthusiastic parents and community members who connect children to health food and nature through school gardens and farm experiences.We currently maintain over 800 square feet of school gardens in the La Crosse school district and host farm experiences for hundreds of children. We also raise the funds required to sustain these programs through sponsorships, holding fundraisers, and writing grants.
Hillview Urban Agriculture: a non-profit grassroots organization that was formed in 2010 with the belief that everyone in our community should – and can – have access to healthy, local food. Hillview Urban Agriculture Center grew out of the Hillview Greenhouse Life Center that was established by Dr. Tom Klemond.Hillview Urban Agriculture Center holds the mission of creating a healthy community through a local, sustainable, and accessible food system.
Onalaska/Mayo Community Garden: Located near the Onalaska Campus of Mayo Health system, this community space rents plots to those who would like to grow a garden in the Onalaska area.
Washburn Community Garden, founded in 2010, is on the 900 block of Division Street in La Crosse, on property owned by Mayo Clinic Health System—Franciscan Healthcare. The Washburn Neighborhood Association manages the area, which started with 18 gardens and has grown every year. In 2014 there were 54 gardens. One hundred percent of the garden-rental proceeds are donated to St. Clare Health Mission ($1,600 in 2014), and 10 percent of the harvest is donated to charities, food banks and families in need. In 2013, 1,300 pounds of produce was shared.
Info about farm to school
Info about waste to worms
Onalaska School Gardens: https://sites.google.com/a/onalaskaschools.com/onalaska-school-gardens/home
Farmers Markets
MORE RESOUCES
Homegrown School Gardens in Wisconsin Guide (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2014)
