Posted by Paul Callighan on Mar 15, 2023
DeKalb County Community Gardens (DCCG) was founded in 2012 by DeKalb teacher Dan Kenney to address food insecurity and has grown into a multi-program agency that also promotes healthy eating lifestyles and provides job training in agriculture for adults with special needs.  Executive Director Heather Edwards and Associate Director Karson Paris provided an update at this week’s Rotary meeting.  DCCG distributes locally grown produce to area food pantries, shelters, low-income housing units, and community meal programs.  Their main office is at a warehouse on Northern Illinois University property at Bethany and Sycamore Roads. 
There are several major programs and locations for DCCG.
  • Walnut Grove Vocational Farm near Kirkland – A site for securing fresh produce as well as plants for personal use.  This is also the training site to prepare adults with special needs for jobs in agriculture.  Retail sales at the site begin April 27th and an open house is scheduled for May 6th.
  • Grow Mobile Outreach – Specially equipped trucks make fresh produce and other healthy food options available to urban and rural food deserts throughout the county.  DCCG conducts 12-14 events per month.
  • Community Gardens – Rental plots for growing produce are available in the DeKalb, Sycamore, and Genoa areas for those who don’t have their own yards or have only limited space for a garden.  DCCG has multiple other plots available for volunteers to manage producing produce that goes to food pantries and community meal programs.
  • Box of Hope – A box of locally grown vegetables delivered to individuals or families during the 20-week growing season.
  • Genoa Food Hub – Opened in 2020, it offers traditional food pantry services but also provides educational classes on healthy food preparation and has a pay-as-you-are-able meal program.
Edwards said DCCG is making plans for a DeKalb Food Hub which would be in the Annie Glidden North Road area.  She also noted the organization is always looking for additional volunteers and donations to supplement their grants from community partners.  Their website is www.dekalbgardens.org.