Each year, the one-acre rooftop garden atop the West Building of McCormick Place in Chicago produces 8,000 pounds of fresh produce for use in tasty menu items served to the convention center's many trade show visitors. However, in the spring of 2020, as the pandemic began to shut down live events around the world, Savor Chicago, the venue's food service provider, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), which manages McCormick Square, had a decision to make: Should they proceed with planting the 2020 rooftop garden even though it was unclear whether large events would return to Chicago in time for the harvest, or should they scale back or eliminate this year's planting?

Hoping that the country would flatten the curve and events would safely return, Savor and MPEA decided to move forward with the planting. Plus, Savor had another reason to continue as planned. Since 2013, Savor has partnered with the Chicago Botanic Garden's Windy City Harvest to manage the planting and cultivation of the farm. Windy City Harvest uses the rooftop garden as an education and job-training site for those interested in learning urban agriculture, building a local food system, developing healthier communities, and creating a greener economy.

"We're extremely committed to the local community and supporting our neighbors, so when it came time to decide about garden planting earlier this spring, we didn't hesitate," says Doug Bradley, vice president of culinary for Savor Chicago. "Maintaining the garden as planned meant that the apprentices employed by Windy City Harvest kept their jobs and the produce would keep us connected to our community while we wait for live events to return."

The spring planting moved forward as scheduled, and the garden flourished with more than 50 varieties of vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, perennials, bushes, and trees. However, COVID-19 continued to ravage the United States, and Savor soon realized that business was not going to resume in time to use the summer and fall crops. Instead of letting the bountiful harvest go to waste, however, Savor and Windy City Harvest swapped one market for another.

Desiring to keep the food local and support area organizations, Savor and Windy City Harvest now take the rooftop farm produce to the weekly South Loop Farmers' Market less than half a mile away. Local residents benefit from the abundance of healthy produce, and proceeds go to support Windy City Harvest's educational programs and job training. Any food that isn't sold at the market is donated to Lawndale's Hope House, a community-based reentry program.

"It's really heartening to see how the bounty of the rooftop farm touches so many people, especially in the middle of a global pandemic where nutrition is more important than ever," Bradley says. "In the span of a single day, the produce goes from being harvested on the rooftop to being shared within the community. While we eagerly look forward to the day that shows return to McCormick Square, we're extremely pleased to be able to share this farm-to-table freshness with our neighbors."