Urban Growers Collective Partners with Obama Foundation to Launch Garden Gatherings at New Obama Presidential Center

Inaugural bi-weekly garden series reframes urban agriculture as civic engagement; UGC invites media, podcasters, and storytellers to explore how communities exercise democracy through the food system.

CHICAGO, July 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Growers Collective (UGC) announces a landmark partnership with the Obama Foundation to anchor summer programming at the new Obama Presidential Center (OPC). Running through September 20, 2026, UGC will host Garden Gatherings, a six-part intergenerational series activating the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden as a hub for civic engagement and food justice.

Operated by the Chicago Botanic Garden, this space continues Michelle Obama's Let's Move! legacy. UGC provides the cultural programming and community-building framework, utilizing the Community Food Navigator to frame food sovereignty as a direct expression of democracy.

UGC invites journalists and storytellers for exclusive interviews and on-site segments highlighting how citizens can reclaim local food systems to dismantle systemic inequities.

"At UGC, we don't just grow food—we grow people," says Erika Allen, Founder and CEO. "This partnership allows us to scale our mission. Teaching a community to build its own soil and navigate its own food systems provides the tools for self-determination. This is democracy from the ground up."

Garden Gatherings: The Summer 2026 Lineup
Hosted bi-weekly on Sundays, these 90-minute workshops blend agriculture and ecology into accessible "Movement Sessions":

• July 12 – Soil Rhythms: Rooting Down for Resilience: Hands-on sifting, worm composting, and exploring the foundation of life.
• July 26 – Sun-Drenched Harmonies: Harnessing solar energy, brewing early summer sun teas, and creating botanical scent-rollers.
• August 9 – The Pollinator Groove: Celebrating mutual aid in nature by building mason bee houses and designing custom floral arrangements.
• August 23 – The Preservation Waltz: Food preservation as an act of resilience through quick-pickling and fermentation traditions.
• September 6 – Pigment Play & Fiber Flow: Exploring the economic and artistic value of the garden using natural plant dyes and seed "bloom balls."
• September 20 – The Rooted and Rising Cycle: Cultivating food sovereignty and passing the torch through the ancient art of seed saving.

Media & Podcast Pitch Angles: Why This Story Matters Now
UGC experts are available to discuss:

• Continuing a First Lady's Legacy: How the Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit and Vegetable Garden advances the core values of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative through modern community-led urban agriculture.
• Food Sovereignty as a Democratic Right: How localized food production shifts the narrative from community scarcity to abundance.
• The Six-Sensory Framework: A deep dive into how touch, smell, taste, cognitive learning, visual beauty, and emotional safety are used to heal urban trauma.
• Amplifying the Community Food Navigator: Introducing audiences to localized tech (apps, QR networks, and the Volunteer/Mutual Labor Board) connecting growers, Neighborspace projects, and Chicago Botanic Garden-supported steward sites across Chicago.

Urban Growers Collective: Impact by the Numbers
For producers and editors seeking data-driven narratives on urban climate solutions and economic mobility, UGC's proven track record includes:

• Food Cultivated: Over 89,000 lbs of fresh produce grown across 154 crop varieties.
• Community Nourished: Nearly 40,000 customers served through Fresh Moves Mobile Markets and CSAs.
• Workforce Development: 850+ participants trained across youth and adult apprenticeships.
• Community Engagement: 131,300+ points of connection and 2,300+ mobilized volunteers.
• Systemic Investment: Over $378,000 in Fresh Moves food access vouchers redeemed (matching SNAP/Link dollar-for-dollar).

About Urban Growers Collective
Rooted in growing food, Urban Growers Collective's mission is to cultivate community-led urban agriculture in Chicago, advancing food sovereignty, dismantling systemic inequities, and fostering economic mobility through land stewardship, structural healing, and climate resilience. Operating 8 urban farm sites across 20 acres, a 30-acre peri-urban farm, and the pioneering 9-acre Green Era clean energy campus, UGC transforms urban farming into a launchpad for long-term career success and community advocacy. Learn more at https://urbangrowerscollective.org.

About The Obama Foundation
The Obama Foundation is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. That mission begins on the South Side of Chicago, where the Foundation is building the Obama Presidential Center, creating a global campus dedicated to civic engagement, democratic institutions, and community leadership.

Media Invitation
To schedule an interview, request high-resolution images, or secure a press pass for a Symphony of the Soil session at the Obama Presidential Center, please contact Erika Allen at [email protected] or call (312) 692-9751. Members of the public and journalists can learn more about regional grower networks, mutual labor boards, and local steward sites by downloading the Community Food Navigator App at https://communityfoodnavigator.org.

Media Contact:
Erika Allen
Founder, CEO, Urban Growers Collective
[email protected]
(312) 692-9751
https://urbangrowerscollective.org

SOURCE Urban Growers Collective