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Chicks Ahoy Farm helps people start farming in Connectiut

Chicks Ahoy Farm was founded in response to gross disparities in the US Dept of Agriculture's police and practices in Connecticut. Equipping Leaders and Organizers with the skills and knowledge is our mission. Building Leadership & Community Organizing Capacity (BLOC) is designed to build community organizing skills for individuals working in neighborhoods and building communities across Connecticut. Building Leadership & Organizing Capacity Building the Leadership and Organizing Capacity includes staffing from Chicks Ahoy Farm directors and community organizers to facilitate training, coaching for field organizers, and support to people who would like to become a farmer in Connecticut. We provide advice, coaching, support, and training to assist aspiring farmers. We help them with identifying veteran Connecticut Farmers for mentorship to teenagers, women, BILPOC, and local people seeking to start farming in urban and underserved municipalities of the state. The goal is to foster a new generation of farmers & leaders of color equipped to drive social change. Coaching will help you Understand the main steps required for becoming a farmer in Connecticut Identify business development support for an agribusiness or farm Understand local land use restrictions, committees, and commissions Researching land to purchase, if applicable Understand scalable farming tips and tactics Find and meet with agricultural agencies, including USDA, FSA, NRCS, and the Department of Agriculture, among others. Support is designed to take on community-identified information that will facilitate more farming in urban and suburban cities in Connecticut. These sessions are held throughout the calendar year to help people build their own farm projects. Learn More We envision a Connecticut with hundreds of organizers who are developing the local leadership of thousands of people in the state. Bi-Weekly training Join Our BLOC BLOC Group Training

FREE CT is the name of Cultivating Justice's campaign to reform Connecticut's probation system. BIG WIN!! SB 497 Was Voted out of THE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE! Senate Bill 497 AN ACT PROTECTING FOOD SECURITY FOR VETERANS AND OTHERS AND MITIGATING FEDERAL CUTS TO NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE. Big news! We are one step closer to securing food access for people with supervision violations. This bill will also secure SNAP for veterans, caretakers, seniors, and other vulnerable people. TAKE ACTION Contact your state Senators and State Representatives and tell the to vote YES on SB 497! Contact Diana Martinez if you have questions or need assistance. Find Your Senator and Representative FREE CT action alert for SB 497 Approps Committee April 2026 FREE CT Action Alert for Senate Bill 497 asking people to contact their legislator and ask for them to support the legislation. FREE CT action alert for SB 497 Approps Committee April 2026 FREE CT Action Alert for Senate Bill 497 asking people to contact their legislator and ask for them to support the legislation. 1/1 Use this tool to write an email to your legislators asking them to support SB 497! Sign Up to track the progress of SB: 497 CONNECTICUT PROBATION REFORM CONNECTICUT PROBATION REFORM CONNECTICUT PROBATION REFORM CONNECTICUT PROBATION REFORM We are fighting to reform the probation system by eliminating incarceration for noncriminal technical violations, introducing earned time credit and removing burdensome supervision fees in order to incentivize success, reduce caseloads and reduce the trauma of arrest. Probation Reform Sign On Letter Probation Reform Sign On Letter Probation Reform Sign On Letter Probation Reform Sign On Letter Probation was designed to be an alternative to incarceration. Instead, it has become a direct pathway into the prison system, creating an endless cycle of supervision and incarceration, while also acting as a barrier to resources and support that would effectively target some of the root causes of crime, such as food insecurity. Instead of following its vision to act as a leader in progressive reforms with reentry initiatives as a primary focus, Connecticut DOC chooses to uphold targeted, biased, and unjust systems. As of June 1st 2025, more than 32,000 people are on probation in Connecticut – three times the number of those incarcerated. Hunger as punishment How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation Hunger as punishment How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation Hunger as punishment How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation Hunger as punishment How states restrict SNAP benefits for people on probation PPI Piechart on SNAP access Food insecurity is rampant in the U.S.; 41.7 million people — nearly 1 in 8 Americans — receive SNAP benefits. PPI income graph This chilling effect has a broad impact on the probation population because so many people who are on probation are also poor. CT graph of people impacted Cultivating Justice, is leading the F.R.E.E. CT campaign, which works at the intersection of food justice and criminal justice to dismantle barriers in Connecticut’s social safety net that impede successful community reentry for justice system-impacted individuals. PPI Piechart on SNAP access Food insecurity is rampant in the U.S.; 41.7 million people — nearly 1 in 8 Americans — receive SNAP benefits. 1/5 A patchwork of statutes and administrative choices limits access to the food assistance program SNAP for some people on probation. by Aleks Kajstura, February 24, 2026 Making sure people have food to eat is one of the most important ways to support them when they’re on probation. But there is a legislative patchwork across the U.S. that prevents and deters people For questions or more information, contact Diana at cultivatingjustice@chicksahoyfarm.org Follow us on socials