Beyond Growing Food: How Sola Gratia Farm Cultivates Community
By Leslie Cooperband, farmer & storyteller
Rooted in service and education, Sola Gratia Farm in Urbana has become a place where nourishment, learning, and connection grow side by side, a mission deeply personal to executive director Traci Barkley.
Farm History
Sola Gratia Farm began in 2012 on the grounds of Saint Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Urbana. For years, the church had rented its six acres to a commodity grain farmer and donated the proceeds to international hunger relief efforts. But after conversations with Rev. Brian Sauder, president of Faith in Place—an environmental justice nonprofit organization—about local food insecurity, the congregation realized they had an opportunity to make an impact much closer to home.
Taking what Traci describes as a leap of faith, the church converted the land into diversified vegetable production and launched an 80-member CSA program. Their original goal was to donate at least 10% of the farm’s harvest to those in need—a goal they’ve exceeded every single year. Today, Sola Gratia donates fresh produce to organizations including the Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Jubilee Café, local food pantries, and free farmers markets in partnership with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District. They sell the remainder through CSA shares, local farmers markets, and wholesale partnerships.
Over time, the organization expanded both its growing operations and its educational outreach. In 2023, Sola Gratia purchased an additional 29-acre farm north of the church property, complete with a state-of-the-art, post-harvest processing facility. While that production-focused property is not open to the public, the original church-site farm remains an active community hub.
A Farm Fueled by Purpose
Growing up on a farm in central Iowa, Traci experienced financial hardship firsthand and understands how difficult consistent access to healthy food can be for families. Her work at Sola Gratia is rooted in the belief that everyone deserves fresh, nutritious food, as well as the skills and support needed to grow it.
Farm outreach coordinator Fiona Munro is equally passionate about helping people experience the awe of growing food themselves. She loves introducing kids to agriculture and nature, particularly those with limited access to outdoor spaces. For Fiona, there’s something magic about watching someone pull a vegetable from the ground or taste a fresh blackberry for the very first time.
Together, Traci and Fiona approach farming as both practical and deeply hopeful work: growing food while also building knowledge, confidence, and community resilience.
Learning Straight from the Field
At Sola Gratia, education happens naturally through hands-on experiences. Fiona leads many of the farm’s tours and programs, often encouraging visitors to taste vegetables or berries while learning about the plants, the land, and the growing process itself.
Traci loves helping people see the bigger picture behind successful farming—from healthy soil and cover crops to crop rotations and ecological balance. Rather than simply showing visitors what grows, Traci and Fiona help explain why it grows and how sustainable systems work together.
The Farm As Classroom
The farm’s half-acre learning garden, located on the church property, is open daily from dawn to dusk and serves as a peaceful gathering space for visitors to sit, walk, and explore. Informational signs guide guests through self-paced tours, and ripe berries are free for visitors to pick in season.
Sola Gratia’s community-centered programming is what truly sets it apart. The farm regularly hosts volunteer trainings, educational workshops, playdates, open houses, and school partnerships focused on food systems and ecology.
Programs like “Fridays on the Farm” bring students from Yankee Ridge Elementary School out to garden weekly, while partnerships with local schools encourage young “citizen scientists” to study insects, pollinators, and the role of so-called weeds within healthy ecosystems.
The farm also collaborates with organizations like First Followers, a reentry program supporting formerly incarcerated individuals. Sola Gratia provides land, water, tools, and instruction to help participants build gardening skills and greater self-sufficiency.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, the farm is developing a perennial food forest in partnership with the Permaculture Institute of North America. Future plans also include a demonstration farm showcasing sustainable growing methods and a pavilion space that would allow even more community events and educational programming.
Through fresh produce, hands-on learning, and an unwavering commitment to community care, Sola Gratia Farm has become a place where people connect with nature, with each other, and with the idea that healthy food should be accessible to everyone.
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