By David A. F. Sweet The Elawa Farm Foundation recently kicked off the public part of its Keep Elawa Growing capital campaign. The farm – a public-private partnership between the Foundation and the City of Lake Forest -- is looking to raise $2 million to expand its education and food-access programs, amid other improvements. Phase One of the plan has already brought goats, chickens and ducks to the farm, along with the Discovery Hive Garden. A new café has also opened. Lake Forest Love recently sat down with Elawa Farm Foundation Executive Director Laura Calvert in her office, where she greeted visitors and politely juggled important phone calls while answering our questions. What’s the purpose of the capital campaign? It’s to support our program expansion and campus development. With the departure of Wildlife Discovery Center, which was run by the Parks and Recreation Department, we worked closely with the city to determine the future use of Elawa. It’s the first time Elawa Farm Foundation has had full use of our whole property – it’s the moment a lot of us have been waiting on.
Elawa Farm's capital campaign will bring it to new heights.
This moment is a real gamechanger at Elawa. It allows us to stretch our wings and accomplish our mission. We can offer seed-to-plate educational programming year-round, feed more people, and become a more engaging destination for our local community. We’ve had some huge milestones over the last 20 years at Elawa, and this is one of those big milestones. As you noted, food is a big part of this transformation. How has Elawa changed its approach to food over the years? We have evolved our philosophy to connect our community members to their local food system. We are proud to support a network of more than 50 local farmers and producers in our market and kitchen sourcing. With our new farm-to-table cafe, nearly all our food will be locally sourced from our gardens and farming community. We want it to be a destination for breakfast and lunch.We will feature local produce, eggs, dairy, meat, grains, and more. We strive to source ingredients that are organically or sustainably produced and minimally processed. In the spring we will build a hoop house. It’s similar to a greenhouse – it allows us to grow throughout the year. You need one of those in the Midwest, especially since the demand for our produce far exceeds our supply. With many options for philanthropy in the area, why should residents and others give to Elawa? In Lake Forest, we want to be a community destination for residents. They can come any day of the week to have a positive experience. This is such a unique asset in Lake Forest and in the Midwest. We want to also be a Lake County and Chicago region destination. The programs we offer help feed, educate, and employ people. What naming opportunities are involved with the campaign? Donors have the opportunity to name the new program areas at Elawa, including the new production kitchen, teaching kitchen, classroom, visitor center and more. (For more information, contact Laura at lcalvert@elawfarm.org) After this campaign is over, what might be next in terms of Elawa's needs and wants for the future? We are focusing on introducing these new program areas and hearing how our community is engaging with them. Our mission is to broaden access to education, nutritious food, and our local food system. We are always thinking of ways to engage our community members in this mission in a fun and experiential way. We will continue to steward the historic facility and grounds for generations to come, while adapting to the needs of our community.