MFAI is set to partner with Fork Farms on the initiative’s educational component. Fork Farms is a Wisconsin-based food access technology company that makes a hydroponic growing system called Flex Farm.

The organization provides a wide range of resources in the Chicago area, including a food pantry, job training, language instruction, legal guidance, and family support. Its indoor growing program grew out of the food pantry with a simple goal: bring more fresh food to the community.

The Flex Farm hydroponic growing systems are manufactured by Fork Farms, which provides detailed instructions on their usage.

Lettuce harvested in the system is the most commonly used crop in school lunch programs.

Since 2022, four volunteers have been operating four Flex Farm units as part of the organization’s work to provide food to neighbors in need. By rotating harvests across the farms, the team is able to harvest approximately every two weeks, growing multiple varieties of lettuce along with herbs including cilantro, dill, and basil.

Current growing equipment consists of racks, grow lights, and hydroponic systems. Pictured left to right are students Reecelyn Rada, Jacob Haase, and Hannah Davis.

It’s a win-win as Lima City Schools and the West Ohio Food Bank partner to provide fresh produce while addressing food insecurity in the area.

The West Ohio Food Bank used grant dollars to purchase five hydroponic growing towers for the program. Students plant, care for and harvest leafy greens, including lettuce, arugula and collard greens.

At Meadowbrook Apartments, growing fresh food is also growing curiosity, confidence, and connection.

Since 2023, the Meadowbrook Garden Club has been growing with a Flex Farm alongside the Heaven’s Windows team.

What began as a singular machine in 2021 has blossomed into a state-of-the-art hydroponics hub operated by the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes.

When schools grow food on-site, they're creating opportunities for students to connect with where food comes from, supporting healthier meals, and turning classrooms into living laboratories.”

— Alex Tyink, CEO of Fork Farms

Fork Farms, an indoor hydroponic farming company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, helps people grow their own food. Company founder and CEO Alex Tyink believes in the importance of building resiliency and access to fresh produce in communities.

“The whole purpose behind what we're doing is we're trying to get fresh food more within reach to everybody everywhere,” he said.

On Tuesday, Badger Elementary School unveiled a new indoor hydroponic growing system designed to expand access to fresh produce, strengthen nutrition education and support student wellbeing during a special community event.

Fork Farms has partnered with more than 5,000 institutions across 50 states and 22 countries. Together, those partners can grow nearly 2 million pounds of fresh food annually, and many are growing food for under $1 per pound. This matters because it means local food production can be practical, measurable, and economically competitive.

Clock Tower Farms will house 72 Fork Farms Flex Acre hydroponic systems that use nutrient-infused, recirculated water to nourish plant roots and optimize growth. Rockwell’s Plant PAx system will monitor and automatically adjust nutrient, pH, and water levels based on the crops being grown. 

Rockwell is donating the space and growing systems for Clock Tower Farms to Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin.

Fresh, locally grown food has long been a priority for the RSU 14 nutrition program. But Maine’s long, harsh winters typically bring the growing season for leafy vegetables to a halt. Now, thanks to the rising popularity of hydroponic gardening, RSU 14 can keep fresh produce growing year-round with a portable, vertical indoor garden system.

Jackson Elementary School students cracked open their first Hydroponic Flex Farm Tuesday to educate kids and feed those in need.

It is a machine that uses nutrient-rich water to grow plants without soil in a man-made environment.

Agricultural science, taught by Mrs. Michelle (“Shelley”) Shurlow, is underway at Gladstone High School for the very first year.

Currently an elective, the class gives a group of students education on various elements of agriculture through hands-on experience, guest speakers, field trips, and online learning.

The school’s child nutrition team recently started experimenting with two vertical hydroponic growing systems.

"It started as like kind of a pipe dream idea over the summer," said the school's child nutrition coordinator, Megan Grippa. "We had someone from Fork Farms, where we purchased our hydroponic farms from, speak at my conference and I heard a little bit of her speech and was kind of inspired."

Green Our Planet, the nation’s largest nonprofit provider of school garden and hydroponics STEM programs announced a major national partnership with Fork Farms today, the Wisconsin-based impact-tech company redefining indoor agriculture. Together, the two organizations will expand access to hydroponic laboratories and hands-on STEM learning for students across the United States.