SustainEd Farms is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization built on sustainable farming practices, equal access to knowledge and resources, rigorous experiential instruction, and community engagement. With these principles in mind, SustainEd Farms creates and manages gardens on school campuses, teaching students about nutrition and sustainability through hands-on learning experiences. All produce grown with students on our farms goes back to the community to create a more food-just Denver.
Growing Food. Growing Knowledge. Growing Justice.
Izzy Petersen and Matt Suprunowicz met as Teach for America corps members at a Title I school located in a food desert. Right away, they noticed a disconnect among students, who were largely unaware of where their food came from and what healthy food was, which led to the creation of a gardening program at that school. They soon realized that this issue was far larger than one school. Many schools, especially low-income ones and those proximate to food deserts, needed support with their gardens and teaching their students about sustainability and nutrition. Additionally, the students and families at those schools needed access to locally grown produce. Therefore SEF was created to support students in being leaders in community sustainability.
SEF targets Denver Public Schools (DPS) with >70% students of color, Title I status, and an enrollment zone within a USDA defined food desert. We currently partner with 36 DPS schools to provide programming that includes sustainability and garden-based education, planting and seed-starting workshops, and garden maintenance. In 2024, we partnered with DPS' Office of Sustainability to support their Climate Action goals. For us, that means we will be expanding to an additional eight schools annually until 2029.
Organization name
SustainEd Farms
other names
SEF
2018
Tax id (EIN)
82-4470822
Category
Education, Food, Agriculture & Nutrition, Environment, Youth Development
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
2255 SHERIDAN BLVD UNIT C 285Denver, CO, US
Denver, CO, US