That’s right, a farm. A freight farm that is, also known as a shipping container garden. Old MacDonald would be proud. This fairly new and cutting-edge concept is where shipping containers are used to create hydroponic gardens to grow crops such as lettuce and kale.

Nearly 2,000 heads of lettuce were recently harvested for the first time from the Freight Farm at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, CO. In partnership with Metro Caring and the Morgridge Foundation, Saint Joseph Hospital brought in the Freight Farm in November 2018. The Freight Farm provides an opportunity to educate the local community about food and nutrition. This summer, two student interns from Denver Public Schools managed the farm and produced the first harvest. The freight farm also serves to help feed those in need. Half of this first harvest will go to Metro Caring for distribution to the needy, the other half will be collected by the interns for Denver Public Schools who managed the Freight Farm this summer.

“The fact that it (the Freight Farm) is right outside of our front doors at Saint Joe’s sends a message that there is a link between producing healthy food, eating healthy food, and being healthy and that’s one of the messages that we thought was important from the perspective of the hospital,” said Chuck Alt, Regional Director of Community Health and Improvement.