COD Community Farm Ready for Summer Season

The College of DuPage Community Education Farm will begin its annual sale of fresh produce on Thursday, Aug. 2, on campus in Glen Ellyn.

Weekly sales will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursdays in the hallway next to the College of DuPage Library entrance, located on the second floor of the Student Resource Center. Offerings this season include tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, herbs, greens and squash, and available produce will vary from week to week.

In 2003, the Community Education Farm was created as a result of an honors course taught by COD faculty members. Each year, the farm produces organic vegetables and fruits that is distributed to low-income residents primarily through the People's Resource Center.

The farm is run and managed by COD staff and students, and the food is grown by a combination of students and community volunteers. This spring, the farm moved to a new location just south of Building K on the west side of campus.

“We had a great turnout of volunteers to prepare the new location, but we still need more volunteers to work at the farm throughout the summer,” said Deborah Adelman, professor of English and faculty co-director of the farm.

Another way to support the farm is to become a Friend of the Farm. For a $100 donation, you will receive a summer produce gift and winter micro-green gift; for a $50 donation, you receive the winter gift.

“By joining Friends of the Farm, people ensure that our project is able to fulfill its mission while also raising necessary funds,” Adelman said.

To purchase a share, please send a check made payable to the COD Foundation, specifically identified for the Community Education Farm Friends of the Farm, to Deborah Adelman, Liberal Arts Division, College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, IL 60137-6599.

For more information about the farm or to volunteer, contact Adelman at (630) 942-3406, email Adelman@cod.edu; Shamili Sandiford, faculty co-director, at (630) 942-2123, email sandifor@cod.edu; Diana Strode, faculty co-director, at (630) 942-2547, email strodedi@cod.edu; or Lia Rousset, Community Farm leader, at (630) 888-4645, email roussetl@cod.edu. You can also view a brochure online.