INDIANAPOLIS — Local high school students helped bring fresh produce to Indianapolis families with a neighborhood farm stand on Thursday.
Five Indianapolis Public Schools students were selected for the Patachou Foundation's Food Fellowship, a paid workforce development program that offers hands-on experience with careers in the food system.
Those five students, the program's director and the farm manager opened a neighborhood farm stand that featured fresh produce from The Patachou Foundation Urban Farm.
The student-run farm stand increases access to fresh fruits and vegetables in Indianapolis, specifically on the north side where the farm is located.
"We're not really close to grocery stores like that and our farm stand — our farm is right out there so they can see we worked hard on this farm and everything is fresh and everything is safe and it's made with love," one of the students explained.
By running the farm, students learn about entrepreneurship, food marketing and customer service.
The six-week workforce training program also includes hands-on instruction from industry professionals in sustainable farming, culinary arts and barista skills, as well as career readiness, job-seeking, and financial literacy training.
Fellows receive in-person instruction at The Patachou Foundation’s headquarters, which includes a production kitchen, urban farm, and Foundation Coffee Company.
The farm stand is located at the Patachou Foundation Urban Farm at 4565 Marcy Lane near Arsenal Park. It's open on Thursdays from 4-6 p.m.