Greensgrow opened their West Philly hub in 2016 (archived photo).

Greensgrow West, the West Philly branch of Greensgrow Farms located at 51st and Baltimore, ceased its operations on Friday, July 22 after the nonprofit urban farm announced a financial crisis earlier this month. The flagship location in Kensington closed in early July.

“This past month, Greensgrow was the victim of a counterfeit check scheme that leaves us struggling to keep our doors open through July,” reads their Instagram post dated July 15. “Although, we typically close in the start of August, this season we are working with bankers and law enforcement to try to recoup $33,000 in lost revenue.”

To help ease the dire financial situation, which made it difficult for the management to meet the next payroll for their workers, Greensgrow has launched a fundraising campaign.

“We will be working on fundraising efforts and bringing some fun new opportunities to support your favorite urban farm,” the Instagram post continues.

Greensgrow has been facing various problems for the past several years, which began after the death of the founder, Mary Seton Corboy in 2016, according to an article by The Philadelphia Inquirer. The organization has struggled with sustainability and has also been plagued with staffing issues. Prior to closing both locations this month, Greensgrow management fired almost all of their workers, who were in the process of unionizing in an effort to improve their working conditions, according to the article.

While Greensgrow’s fundraising efforts continue, the management is working on a new strategy and partnerships “to keep Mary’s vision alive in the future,” according to today’s Instagram post.

It’s not clear at this point what will happen with Greensgrow West and its garden center. The management has not responded to our email. We’ll keep you posted when we have more information.

If you would like to support Greensgrow, go here.