In 2022, more than 47,000 people in St. Louis–about 16 percent of the population–lived with food insecurity, according to national nonprofit Feeding America. In other words, using the USDA’s definition, these St. Louis residents experience “the lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life.”
From growing to buying to learning how to prepare fresh foods, St. Louis nonprofits are helping fill the gap. Scattered around the city are an ever-increasing number of plots where healthy food is growing and places where people can access it at affordable prices.
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Starting in the ground itself, Seed St. Louis supports community and school gardens, orchards, and urban farms, helping people grow their own food and donate excess to those in need. The 40-year-old organization is developing a new demonstration garden in the Delmar Divine with a planned 2026 opening.
“This will be a space for people to come and get their hands dirty,” says Matt Schindler, Seed St. Louis CEO. “People can try new things, whether that’s different plants or ways to grow them, and it will be fun and whimsical, too.” An example of Seed St. Louis whimsy is the “pizza garden” layout at the organization’s school garden sites. Here, the garden is a circle with wedges marked out for fun pizza ingredients like tomatoes, peppers, onions, herbs. Schindler hopes the concepts introduced at schools and community gardens make their way back to home gardens, encouraging people to grow their own healthy produce.
Melanie Moser, operations coordinator at Urban Harvest STL, a nonprofit that grew 6,517 pounds of organic produce last year across five urban farm sites, has seen that transfer of knowledge from education program to home firsthand. She recalls speaking to a group sponsored by the St. Louis Housing Authority. “The workshop was about how to plant a seed and grow it in your windowsill,” she says. “And no one had a clue about the process, which was an eye-opener to me. Then I thought, why would you even have the bandwidth to take in this knowledge when you’re just trying to go from one meal to the next? But the delight in that room was amazing when they learned just one seed could grow a complete bean plant.”
Urban Harvest STL distributes most of the produce they grow to several partner organizations, including the Urban League and Rung for Women. School gardens provide food for the school’s kitchen and excess for students’ families, and the organization’s apprenticeships and internships attract individuals who want to learn how to create their own urban farms and gardens. “We grow food, we grow community, and we grow growers,” Moser says.
“We grow food, we grow community, and we grow growers.”
Although the ideal situation may be to provide the training and tools needed for people to grow and prepare their own healthy foods, those who don’t have time or space can still access healthy, affordable local products at City Greens Market, a storefront located at 4260 Manchester. The store operates on a membership model. Members pay anywhere from $25 per year to $25 per month, depending on income, and can purchase products from a wide array of local suppliers at cost. Non-members pay a 30 percent mark-up for purchases.
Last year, the market served about 1,000 members from 400 households, says communications manager Jackie Kinealy. About 60 percent of the organization’s funding comes from memberships and sales, and the balance relies on individual donors, business sponsors, and grants. About 160 farmers and vendors contribute to the market, stocking the shelves with everything from produce to meat, bread, honey, soaps, pickles, and prepared meals.
“By working directly with our farmers and passing the goods on at cost, people can get healthy, fresh, seasonal foods at surprisingly affordable prices,” Kinealy says. For example, locally farmed ground beef is less than $7 per pound, and fresh eggs were priced at $4 per dozen in February. “Our suppliers come from within 150 miles of St. Louis, and some are able to grow produce in greenhouses so we receive fresh greens all year,” she adds. “And if you don’t know how to cook it, just ask, and we can tell you.”
Kinealy sums up the purpose of local community food providers this way: “Working with our organizations and farmers and markets, you can buy fresh, local food on a budget, feel connected to the people who grow and sell your food, and be confident that your money is building a food system that’s healthier for our neighborhoods, our city, and the planet.”
