Yes To Carrots Supports Organic Initiatives

Yes To Carrots has created a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded to provide under-served communities with the resources to develop and sustain an organic food source and access to healthy nutrition. Together with partner organizations, the Yes To Carrots Seed Fund will donate a portion of its proceeds to help local communities purchase equipment, seeds and related supplies; acquire the technical know-how to grow their own fruits, herbs and vegetables; and transform urban and suburban land for farming and gardening purposes.

Yes To Carrots has been working with Chicago-based Growing Home, Inc., an organization that provides job training for homeless and low-income individuals in Chicago through a social enterprise business based on organic agriculture. Program participants work to plant and harvest the gardens, sell the organic produce in local markets and gain valuable job experience that helps reintroduce them back into the workforce. The Seed Fund has provided funding for Growing Home’s Wood Street Urban Farm, located in the center of Englewood, one of the poorest and most violent areas on the South side of Chicago. This once empty lot is now becoming a vibrant space full of organic life.

The Seed Fund, which has been in development for over a year, is the personal dream of Ido Leffler, chief executive officer of Yes To Carrots. “We are extremely proud of The Seed Fund—it’s a cornerstone of our company values,” Mr. Leffler said. “We’re working with certified organic farmers in Israel to create our line of personal care products, and by creating the Seed Fund, we found a way to give back to the Earth and help local communities where we do business. The simple act of planting seeds and encouraging collaboration in local markets has a major impact, and the Seed Fund completes the cycle.”