growing power's allen fighting world hunger
By: Jon Staples
At Growing Power Inc., Facilities manager Steve Schiro cares about the consumer.
“When you’re a local producer you have to get to know your consumer,” Schrio said.
For 20 years, Growing Power has been a non- profit organization. It started as a self-funded organization, and over time, the sales of products and service made it what it is today.
Headquartered at 5500 N. Silver Spring Dr., Growing Power’s facilities include seven large greenhouses, a kitchen, indoor and outdoor training gardens, aquaculture system and a food distribution facility. Thousands tour its facilities every year.
Will Allen, a former professional basketball player, started Growing Power in 1993 after buying a Milwaukee farm. In 2008, Allen was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for his work.
Growing Power has part-time and full-time staff, and also has 10 interns during the school year and 40 during the summer. Growing Power works with the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee.
In the past, Growing Power has worked with Outreach Community Health and Potawatomi Casino to provide healthy food for events. Growing Power grows fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything grown in the facility is grown from 90% finished compost and has no fertilizer, and little waste. The materials for the compost that Growing Power uses to grow its food come from the community.
Growing Powers’ goals are to inspire inner city children to grow and eat healthy foods, and to increase the percentage of people eating good food. Anything that Growing Power can’t sell is fed to its animals. Growing Power is home to goats and chickens and plans to add sheep soon, Schiro said.
Some of the challenges that Growing Power faces are the affordability of land and limited city space for land.
“There’s not a lot of space. We have to be more creative in how set a facility up,” Schiro said.
Will Allen, Growing Power’s CEO and founder, believes that Growing Power is having an affect on Milwaukee’s urban community.
“By proving that you can grow food that can change the food dynamics of a community and a city,” said Allen, a former NBA basketball player who went into the farming business with the goal of changing the community with healthy, nutritious foods.
Growing Power has six facilities around the country that use farming methods from ancient times, said Schiro.
“Some of the stuff we do go back to ancient China, ancient Egypt, and ancient Rome,” he said.
Allen, who has been recognized locally, nationally and worldwide, sees no end to his work until the percentage of people eating healthy foods increases.
“We need to continue to increase that percentage and move along the continuum until there is no more hunger,” Allen said.
At Growing Power Inc., Facilities manager Steve Schiro cares about the consumer.
“When you’re a local producer you have to get to know your consumer,” Schrio said.
For 20 years, Growing Power has been a non- profit organization. It started as a self-funded organization, and over time, the sales of products and service made it what it is today.
Headquartered at 5500 N. Silver Spring Dr., Growing Power’s facilities include seven large greenhouses, a kitchen, indoor and outdoor training gardens, aquaculture system and a food distribution facility. Thousands tour its facilities every year.
Will Allen, a former professional basketball player, started Growing Power in 1993 after buying a Milwaukee farm. In 2008, Allen was awarded a MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant" for his work.
Growing Power has part-time and full-time staff, and also has 10 interns during the school year and 40 during the summer. Growing Power works with the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee.
In the past, Growing Power has worked with Outreach Community Health and Potawatomi Casino to provide healthy food for events. Growing Power grows fresh fruits and vegetables. Everything grown in the facility is grown from 90% finished compost and has no fertilizer, and little waste. The materials for the compost that Growing Power uses to grow its food come from the community.
Growing Powers’ goals are to inspire inner city children to grow and eat healthy foods, and to increase the percentage of people eating good food. Anything that Growing Power can’t sell is fed to its animals. Growing Power is home to goats and chickens and plans to add sheep soon, Schiro said.
Some of the challenges that Growing Power faces are the affordability of land and limited city space for land.
“There’s not a lot of space. We have to be more creative in how set a facility up,” Schiro said.
Will Allen, Growing Power’s CEO and founder, believes that Growing Power is having an affect on Milwaukee’s urban community.
“By proving that you can grow food that can change the food dynamics of a community and a city,” said Allen, a former NBA basketball player who went into the farming business with the goal of changing the community with healthy, nutritious foods.
Growing Power has six facilities around the country that use farming methods from ancient times, said Schiro.
“Some of the stuff we do go back to ancient China, ancient Egypt, and ancient Rome,” he said.
Allen, who has been recognized locally, nationally and worldwide, sees no end to his work until the percentage of people eating healthy foods increases.
“We need to continue to increase that percentage and move along the continuum until there is no more hunger,” Allen said.