A Red Circle Farmhouse Open House at the North County Agricultural Center

Start: Thursday, April 10, 2025 4:00PM
End: Thursday, April 10, 2025 7:00PM

Admission: Complimentary via Eventbrite.

A community-powered response to a national crisis.
Replenishing a food desert to access quality education, healthy food, and economic opportunity, a bold new solution is taking root. 

"A Red Circle" Farmhouse Open House at the North County Agricultural Education Centeri is a vibrant new Food Justice and Education Hub designed to nourish minds, bodies, and futures for generations to come. 
With over $1 billion in federal school meal funding slashed, students across North County face the loss of essential programs-from free meals to after-school tutoring, special education, and arts instruction. School districts like Ferguson-Florissant, Hazelwood, Normandy, Jennings, and Riverview Gardens are bracing for devastating cuts.

But this Farmhouse is built as a community solution. It stands for every child, every parent, and every neighbor who believes we all deserve better.

Step Inside the Farmhouse: Guests experience a brand newly constructed, circular-design community space, built from the ground up through public investment and local vision. The layout intentionally guides visitors through a complete loop-passing from the main entrance and welcome foyer into a bright, open gathering space, the state-of-the-art culinary kitchen, flexible meeting rooms, and back to the center again. There are no dead ends-only connected paths, symbolizing the cycle of community learning and collective care.

Outside, guests can enjoy:
-A covered porch with built-in benches for conversation, quiet reflection, or shared meals
-A greenhouse and teaching garden, where hands-on lessons begin with soil and seeds
-An outdoor classroom and farm-to-table dining area, with wide cedar tables and rustic benches surrounded by crops and native plants

This intentional circular layout makes the Farmhouse ideal for field trips, workforce development programs, job training, community-led workshops, family cooking nights, and healing-centered spaces for youth.

What to Expect at the Open House:
-Ribbon-cutting ceremony with community leaders, educators, and elected officials
-Farmhouse tours, highlighting innovative features, sustainability efforts, and youth-focused design
-Live food prep and healthy cooking demonstrations in the Farmhouse state-of-the-art culinary kitchen using fresh produce grown on-site
-Hands-on STEM-based agriculture activities for all ages and capabilities.
-Youth-led presentations on the real-life impacts of federal education cuts

-"A Red Circle" resource table to get involved or sign up for programs and volunteer opportunities
This is not just an open house. It's an act of local resilience-and a moment to gather around what's possible.

Why Now, Why Here: The Farmhouse at the North County Agricultural Education Center is more than a structure-it's a solution. Created through $550,000 in public grant funding from the American Rescue Plan Act and the St. Louis County Port Authority, this community-owned resource was built to combat food insecurity, educational inequality, and economic disinvestment head-on.

-Youth gain hands-on experience in agriculture, science, nutrition, and advocacy
-Parents access fresh food, cooking knowledge, and health-focused support
-Entrepreneurs learn how to grow, market, and sell produce from seed to sale

"A Red Circle Farmhouse is a symbol of hope," says Erica R. Williams, Executive Director of A Red Circle. "It represents the power of community rising to meet urgent needs with creativity, equity, and care. We built it for the people who've been overlooked for too long-and it's only the beginning." 

"I used to skip lunch at school. There wasn't anything I could eat," said one 10th grade student from Riverview Gardens. "But when I came to A Red Circle for the summer garden program, I learned how to grow kale and peppers-and cook them. I didn't know I could eat healthy and like it." 

Sponsors and supporters are invited to help expand access to this one-of-a-kind resource and urgently needed to fund:
-Bus transportation and staffing for school field trips
-Fresh, healthy meals for children during workshops and classes
-Program materials for agriculture, STEM, and culinary learning
-Community job training and garden apprenticeship stipends
-Seasonal internships for high school students interested in sustainability careers
Sponsorship benefits include visibility on signage, website, social media, press materials, and program reports.

Call for Volunteers and Donors:  You can still make a huge difference. Donate a field trip. Sponsor a meal. Volunteer in the garden. We believe that every seed planted here will grow something bigger for our future.

Media: Press can schedule interviews, attend ribbon-cutting coverage, and preview programming between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on April 10. Contact: NíCole at nicole.gipson@rprdepartment.com to schedule 

Sponsor or Bring a School?  Call A Red Circle at (314) 328-2286 to fund and coordinate. 
www.aredcircle.org

Price:
Free: USD 0.00