This year, the St. Kate’s/CSJ Food Access Hub (FAH) is taking a bold step toward deeper food justice and environmental sustainability by launching an on-site hydroponic growing pilot.
Using indoor vertical growing systems called Flex Farms, the FAH will begin producing fresh, nutrient-dense produce year-round— without packaging waste and with minimal food loss—directly where it is distributed on the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet campus. This initiative reflects the Food Access Hub’s commitment to addressing food insecurity while transforming the systems that contribute to it.
Recovered, donated, and garden-grown food provide approximately 30% of FAH’s distribution. The remaining 70% is purchased from food bank partners. The hydroponics pilot addresses a central tension in food recovery work: while rescuing surplus food is essential, recovered food often arrives with unavoidable losses and packaging waste. By growing more produce on site, FAH estimates that this pilot project will increase the volume of fresh produce offered through its distribution system by 41%, while the volume of transport packaging and food loss generated will decrease significantly.
The pilot will be implemented in two phases, beginning with four indoor Flex Farm growing towers producing salad greens, herbs, and small fruiting vegetables. Over six months, staff will track food and packaging waste, labor, and operational costs to determine scalability. If successful, the project will expand to seven connected systems, increasing efficiency and impact.
This work is grounded in a long-standing mission. The Food Access Hub operates under the CSJ charism of “serving the dear neighbor without distinction” which has shaped over a century of engagement in education, healthcare, housing, and environmental justice. In partnership with the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice at St. Catherine University (St. Kate’s) —founded by the Sisters in 1905— FAH unites faith-based values with academic resources, student leadership, and community collaboration.
Since its founding in 2017, FAH has evolved from a small campus-adjacent food shelf into a comprehensive network addressing food insecurity and wellness through choice-based distribution, community gardens, and education. Today, it distributes more than 45,000 pounds of food and personal care items and harvests over 1,500 pounds of organic produce from CSJ and partner gardens, impacting approximately 3,000 clients, gardeners, and participants annually. Workshops in cooking, canning, and preservation further strengthen household
Workshops in cooking, canning, and preservation further strengthen household food resilience while reducing waste. St. Kate’s student interns are paid to provide operational infrastructure and critical input for FAH, supported by both CSJ and St. Kate’s staff and a network of community-based volunteers.
The hydroponics initiative is made possible through the support of a Ramsey/Washington County Recycling and Energy Waste Reduction and Innovation Grant. Students and community members will engage in year-round food production, even during the outdoor garden’s offseason, deepening experiential learning and strengthening campus food access. Partnerships with St. Mary’s Medical and Rehabilitative Therapies (SMMART) Clinic, the Cross Campus Food Access Coalition (CFAC), and the Metro Food Justice Network (MFJN) ensure that surplus produce reaches neighbors most in need, with minimal food waste. Additional partnerships with St. Catherine University’s Community Work and Learning, Dining, Biology, Nutrition, and Public Health departments bring research, educational, and further institutional support to this pilot.
Together, the Sisters of St. Joseph and St. Catherine University continue a 120-year tradition of innovation—demonstrating how mission-centered collaboration can generate practical, scalable solutions where food equity, environmental sustainability, and human dignity meet. While the St. Kate’s/ CSJ Food Access Hub responds to the immediate and growing reality of campus food insecurity, at its core, the FAH is a collaborative network of care—nurturing wellness for individuals, communities, and our local ecosystem.
Originally published by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province.