A young visitor helps with the harvest

In 1999, Angelic Organics Learning Center was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization and a partner to Angelic Organics farm.

As members of the Angelic Organics farm, our founders, Tom Spaulding (Executive Director of the Learning Center), Biodynamic farmer John Peterson and a group of Chicago-area residents, knew first-hand how a farm could help people renew relationships with land, farmers, and community. Since the humble beginnings of the Learning Center we’ve become a regional leader helping urban and rural people build local food systems; Each year through our three main initiatives we engage more than 4,000 individuals.

Our On-Farm Initiative offers hands-on learning at Angelic Organics Farm. We engage the body, heart and mind to experience life on a vibrant working farm. We offer farm tours, skills workshops and custom learning opportunities for individuals, families, schools and community groups. Workshops offered include beekeeping, composting, cheesemaking, a variety of summer day camps for kids and many more.

Our Farmer Training Initiative works to train our next generation of sustainable farmers. Led by the experienced farmers from the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT), urban and rural people learn business planning, on-farm training, and mentoring directly from our region’s best farmers.

Our Urban Initiative engages Chicago and Rockford communities in participatory development initiatives that build healthy local food systems. We develop community based projects and offer hands-on learning that increases access to fresh, healthy food and improve quality of life and connects urban families with the land.  We accompany and build capacity for project partners and their leaders in Rockford (community-based groups in the “Roots and Wings Youth Leadership Program”) and in Chicago (in three priority areas of the city; Rogers Park, Little Village, and South Chicago.

For more information on Angelic Organics visit www.angelicorganics.com or see our about our farm page.