DeKalb County Community Gardens Executive Director Heather Edwards explains how the organization works to address food insecurity and promote healthy food lifestyles during this week’s Rotary meeting. Edwards said the non-profit organization provided services to about 21,000 individuals last year.
Associate Director for DeKalb County Community Gardens, Karson Paris, explains operations for their Walnut Grove Farm. The farm near Kirkland offers access to vegetables and plants through various programs and is also a training site for adults with special needs to help them enter careers in agriculture.
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.
As with Happy Dollars and fines, 50/50 raffle proceeds have long been earmarked for the scholarship fund for Sycamore High School seniors. In an effort to "spread the wealth" and support more causes, the members of your Rotary Board have determined that 50/50 raffle proceeds collected each month will benefit a different cause.
For the month of June, 50/50 raffle proceeds will help support CASA DeKalb County, Inc. to advocate for and serve as the voice for children who have experienced abuse or neglect in DeKalb County. The Board has committed that the total amount given to this cause will be no less than $250.
Thank you for your support of this important cause...and best of luck with the raffle!
The Rotary Club of Sycamore is committed to supporting many great causes. Following are the causes we have support since July 2022:
$372.50 to Sycamore District 427 for School Supplies (50/50 raffle cause for August)
$300.00 to Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County (50/50 raffle cause for September)
$465.50 to Safe Passage (50/50 raffle cause for October)
$1,350.00 for Polio Plus (funds raised through Chicken Salad Tasting with Suter Company)
$2,761.00 for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County’s 2022 Home Build (w/ Dist. 6420 Matching Grant)
$400.00 to Usborne Books (during District conference) to provide reading materials to Ukrainian refugees attending two schools in Chicago's Ukrainian Village
$896.00 for Adopt-a-Family
$1,000.00 to Coats for Kids
$1,000.00 to Feed My Starving Children/Make a Difference DKC
$352.50 to Spartan Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for November)
$1,000.00 to Sycamore Public Library to fulfill District 6420 Governor's "Nothing Reads Like a Book" initiative
$292.50 to Sycamore Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for December)
$500.00 to Pay-It-Forward House (50/50 raffle cause for January)
$400.00 to Navajo Water Project (50/50 raffle cause for February)
$365.00 to DeKalb County Community Gardens (50/50 raffle cause for March)
$297.50 to Tails Humane Society (50/50 raffle cause for April)
$500.00 to South Prairie Elementary School (Rotary Reader)
March 14, 1879 – Albert Einstein is born in Ulm, Germany. His theory of relativity led to new ways of thinking about time, space, matter, and energy. He won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1921.
March 15, 1767 – The seventh U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, is born in a log cabin in Waxhaw, South Carolina. He was a hero from the War of 1812 and in politics he helped form the new Democratic Party.
March 16, 1751 – James Madison, the fourth U.S. President, is born in Port Conway, Virginia. He played an important role in formation of the U.S. Constitution and was President during the War of 1812.
March 18, 1837 - The 22nd and 24th President, Grover Cleveland, is born in Caldwell, New Jersey. He is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office.
March 12,1933 – Eight days after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives the first of his famous “fireside chats” to a national radio audience broadcasting directly from the White House. His topic centered around his decision to close the nation’s banks in order to stop panic withdrawals, the so-called “run on the bank.”. He went on to deliver 30 more of these broadcasts between 1933 and 1944.
March 15, 44 B.C. – Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Senate chamber in Rome by Marcus Junius Brutus and fellow conspirators. His death is immortalized by playwright William Shakespeare and the line “Et tu, Brute?”.
March 17, 461– Ireland, and eventually anywhere in the world where the Irish gather, pays homage to the death of St. Patrick of Ireland. The fifth century missionary and later bishop brought Christianity to Ireland’s masses.
March 18, 1974 – The five-month-old Arab oil embargo against the U.S is lifted. The embargo was in retaliation for the American support of Israel during the Yom Kipper War of 1973 in which Egypt and Syria suffered a crushing defeat. The embargo caused U.S. gas prices to soar 300%.
Birthdays & Club Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Alicia Cosky
September 1
Riley Oncken
September 1
Steven Kuhn
September 3
Larry Sill
September 10
Ray Dembinski
September 13
Join Date
Sejal Patel
September 2, 2015
8 years
Paul Barnaby
September 8, 1979
44 years
Ahmed Kamel
September 11, 2005
18 years
Robert Daniel
September 27, 2018
5 years
Brendan Wilson
September 29, 2021
2 years
________________________________________
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2023-2024
President – Brandon Diviak
President Elect – Steve Wilder
Director (President Nominee) – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Designee) - Becky Springer
Past President – Tim Neubert
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Sally Bruch
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Jeff Keicher, Brandon Diviak, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Mark Spiegelhoff, Heidi Wright
December: Paul Barnaby, Larry Berke, Riley Oncken
January: Ray Dembinski, Joyce Klein, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert
June: Stephen Hansen, Steve Wilder, Paulette Renault
Standing Committees
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Bob Hammon, Steve Kuhn, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt, Jeff Jacobson, Brandon Diviak, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Stephen Hansen, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Pat Shafer, Mark Spiegelhoff, Sally Bruch, Sue Emberson Dave Hamilton, Paul Barnaby, Larry Berke, Paul Loner
Service: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Brendan Wilson, Heidi Wright, Alicia Cosky, Tim Neubert
Foundations: Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard, Paul Stromborg
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Steve Wilder
Scholarships: Tim Neubert, Julie Sgarlata, Ray Dembinski, Steve Kuhn, Michele Jurkovic, Don Clayberg
.png)
