Community Hunger Assistance

Sola Gratia Farm is committed to helping those who lack adequate food resources.

Current projections estimate that as many as 42 million people, including 13 million children, may experience food insecurity, in part due to the impacts of COVID-19. Despite its reputation as having some of the best farmland in the world, Central Illinois is no stranger to this problem. According to Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap project, Champaign County suffers from a 10.5% overall food insecurity rate and a 12.2% food insecurity rate for children.   This translates to nearly 27,000 residents of Champaign County living in food insecurity. All 9 schools in Urbana School District 116 participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the National School Lunch Program as each school has between 57 - 88% of children eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Students in Champaign Unit School District 4 (CUSD4) show only slightly lower rates of food insecurity, with up to 55% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. In both school districts, between 60 and 70% of students identify as a member of a systemically excluded racial or ethnic minority group. 

We know vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet but those with limited food dollars generally do not spend them on perishable products that often require preparation, may not seem filling, are often difficult to obtain by LI/LA populations and are relatively expensive.  In addition, the COVID crisis highlighted that limitations such as lack of transportation and reasonable access to fresh produce, in addition to lack of financial resources, are significant barriers. 

One of the problems contributing to hunger and disease in our communities is poor access to healthy, affordable foods for families with low incomes. This is exactly what the founders of Sola Gratia Farm (SGF) wanted to address when the farm was started over ten years ago. SGF was established with the overall goal of building a regional food system where high quality, locally grown produce is available to everyone, especially those at an economic disadvantage. SGF is a small-scale urban produce farm started as a project of St. Matthew Lutheran Church (SMLC) and Faith in Place. As a ministry of SMLC, SGF is required to provide at least 10% of the produce we grow to hunger abatement programs.