Nov 17, 2023

Houston, November 17, 2023 — The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston, in partnership with the Houston Food Bank, is delighted to announce the official unveiling of the innovative Freight Farms initiative. This exciting venture is set to revolutionize sustainable farming, offering valuable opportunities for young minds to engage in environmental stewardship while addressing the critical issue of food insecurity within the Houston community.

“The Freight Farms ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Houston Food Bank is a momentous occasion for us. It symbolizes realizing our shared vision with the Houston Food Bank to create a sustainable and thriving community through innovative solutions like vertical farming,” said Kevin Hattery, President & CEO at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston.

The centerpiece of this collaboration is the introduction of Freight Farms, a cutting-edge vertical farming solution that enables year-round production of fresh, local produce. This approach to farming will not only contribute to combating food insecurity but will also serve as an educational hub for young individuals to explore the intersection of technology and agriculture.

Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers. It often incorporates controlled-environment agriculture, which aims to optimize plant growth, and soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics. Some common structures to house vertical farming systems are buildings, shipping containers, tunnels, and abandoned mine shafts.

In tandem with the Houston Food Bank, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston will implement a series of youth engagement programs within the Freight Farms space. These programs will focus on educating the younger generation about sustainable farming practices, environmental stewardship, and the significance of food security in building resilient communities.

The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony also marked the commencement of various community outreach initiatives. The collaboration aims to actively involve the local community in supporting and participating in sustainable farming practices, creating a collective impact that extends beyond the immediate partnership.

Photos courtesy of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston

About Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Houston

Our mission is to inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Our vision is to put success within reach for our Club members and keep them on track to graduate high school. We help them realize a positive plan for the future that includes good character, citizenship, workforce readiness, and a healthy lifestyle. More than 50,000 youth aged 6 to 18 walk through our doors for our afterschool and summer programs each year. At our Clubs, youth are provided meals, strong role models, homework assistance, organized athletics, character development, and access to the arts. Membership costs just $10 per school year and $25 for the entire summer. We are a United Way-funded partner. For more information, visit our website at www.bgcgh.org. At Boys & Girls Clubs, we do whatever it takes to build great futures!

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About Freight Farms

Here at Freight Farms, we believe that healthy food is a right, not a luxury. For this reason, we are dedicated to making fresh food accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time with a complete platform of products and services — the Greenery™ S, farmhand®, and Client Services — to empower our global community of partners. With this global infrastructure, we aim to revolutionize local access to food for a more sustainable future — not just in terms of the environment, but by also making communities more resilient and secure. Together with our team and network of farmers we hope to build a future-facing and inclusive world.

Today, we have Freight Farmers around the world: snowy Canadian wildernesses, Middle Eastern deserts, concrete urban jungles, and everything in between. While our Freight Farmers have different backgrounds, they all want to shorten the distance that food travels from farm to table. Our farmers rely on container farms as a source of high-quality and sustainable produce, 365 days a year.