In June of 2021, six St. Catherine University faculty members stood on the grounds of Frogtown Farm, 13 lush acres of green space in the otherwise industrialized heart of St. Paul, mesmerized by the words of co-founder Soyini Guyton as she painted the vision for this sacred space meant to cultivate soil and community. The two-week summer workshop on community-engaged teaching through the Center for Community Work and Learning inspired Ambria Crusan, PhD, RD, LD, and Rafael Cervantes, PhD, to bring their respective CORE classes back to the Farm this fall.

But it’s also a give that lasts more than a day or a month or a season: The giving website, GiveMN.org, is available year-round to link people with nonprofits and schools. More recently, RaiseMN, a special initiative to help smaller nonprofits move beyond simply accepting online donations, has been launched. The nonprofits get help with goals, strategies and … fun.

Take Frogtown Farm, for example.

“We’re a fairly new organization, and it’s been helpful to get input on the work we’ve been doing,” said Frogtown Farm Executive Director Dave Colling. “We’re getting creative in our communications — telling our story and not just asking for money.”

Frogtown Farm was born out of anger five years ago. Jones, Minneapolis’ first Artist-in-Residence and Frogtown native, found himself getting “more and more angry” when a 300+ unit apartment building was to be built in the community open space. It took Jones, his wife, and another couple years before founding what is now a 13-acre public park with 5 acres devoted to a certified organic farm, collectively known as Frogtown Park and Farm. And it could not have been done without the support of the entire neighborhood. 

“Frogtown Farm, a 5-acre organic farm in St. Paul, works with the Good Acre. It is a demonstration farm whose mission is educational, helping neighbors…

Nina Escriva dunked heads of a large Chinese cabbage called pak choy into a tub of water, one after another, cleaning off mud at the base so they could be bagged and set aside.

It was a sunny, cool Friday morning on Frogtown Farm in St. Paul. A group of nine workers, including volunteers and staff, moved through rows of ripe produce, harvesting buckets full of vegetables that would be distributed that evening at a local food shelf or sold the next morning at the market.

Outdoor kitchen demonstrations, live music and fresh produce sales are underway at Frogtown Farm in St. Paul.

The 13-acre farm — one of the largest urban farms in the nation — has officially launched “Market Saturdays.” The series of festival-like outdoor sales celebrations will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays from June to October.