How The GardenWorks Project in Wheaton helps neighbors in need grow their own food

A Chinese proverb says teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Wheaton nonprofit The GardenWorks Project hopes the same can be said for teaching people how to garden.

The group offers programs to teach food insecure people to grow their own gardens to reap their own produce. It also works with local organizations and volunteers to donate excess produce to local food pantries.

"The concept of our organization is unique, and we see the real impact on families every day in the relationships we build with our gardeners," said The GardenWorks Project Executive Director Jeannie Iseman in an email.

"When we hear from a first-time food grower who baked our zucchini bread recipe using zucchini from the garden, or parents calling to share their delight about their child devouring kale, we are compelled to work harder at what we do."

The project relies heavily on volunteers to make its programs a success. And there are plenty of ways community members can help out, even if you don't have a green thumb.

"With 'neighbors helping neighbors' in partnership with our local community, we know a more secure and accessible food system within the region is possible," Iseman said.

Iseman talks more about The GardenWorks Project and how you can help feed your neighbors in need.

Q: What is The GardenWorks Project? Give a brief overview of what the organization does and its history.

A: The GardenWorks Project is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that promotes food growing to improve food security, health, and wellness for western Chicagoland.

The organization educates and empowers food insecure families to grow food for themselves, as well as promotes organic food production for the purposes of creating a more resilient and reliable local food system, accessible to all.

Our work extends into the community by working with civic organizations to provide community-based projects and educational initiatives to increase food availability for food pantries. We partner with over 50 emergency food assistance agencies, health and nutrition service agencies, horticulture programs, local business sponsors, garden clubs, and over 200 volunteers annually to achieve our goals.

Our partnerships with networks such as DuPage Hunger Network, Illinois Food Scrap Coalition, and DuPage Food Security Council allow us to identify regional needs and serve a greater number of families in need.

We provide educational events, seminars, and programs throughout the year to train, equip, and resource all food growers and educate audiences throughout the suburbs about food security, food waste, and ways to grow healthier communities.

Q: What are some of your programs?

A: Home gardening: When a household is enrolled in our program, a team of volunteers will install a 4-foot-by-8-foot cedar raised garden bed with organic soil, compost, seedlings, and seeds to grow a garden that has the potential to produce over 100 pounds of fresh vegetable. For households with limited access to land or mobility limitations, we offer alternative garden types: patio garden boxes, stand-up garden beds, or a community garden space.

• Community gardening: Through this program, we create multi-bed gardens at a church, school, food pantry, or other civic organization.

• Food Growers Network: This annual membership program aims to support all local food growers desiring to grow food for themselves or for neighbors in need. Members receive resources and gardening support.

• Gleaning: The GardenWorks Project sends volunteer teams to participating farms to glean and donate their extra produce to local food access organizations.

Q: What is Fresh Food Connect?

A: Fresh Food Connect is a national mobile app operator that began a partnership with GardenWorks in 2022. The mobile app encourages food growers to grow extra within their home gardens for the purposes of donating produce to local food pantries.

Using the app, gardeners can easily find the closest location to donate their excess produce, as well as directions to the location and donation hours.

In 2022, The GardenWorks Project built our own community garden space for the first time at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. Harvesting weekly with volunteers, we donated all produce to food pantries. In addition, as we start to work with local farms and growing farmers, we include their farms on the app to provide opportunities for our staff and volunteers to help in their work.

In our 2022 inaugural season using FCC, 46 FCC gardeners helped us donate over 1,600 pounds of produce to food pantries throughout DuPage County.

Q: How can people participate?

A: We offer many ways for our neighbors to get involved.

• Volunteer with us: We offer volunteer opportunities throughout the year to provide education and training so everyone can grow food for themselves and others.

• Join our network: Sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date on our initiatives and get helpful gardening tips. Join our membership program, the Food Growers Network, and receive free seeds, discounted seedlings, and access to additional educational resources to boost your garden's productivity. Attend a Food Readers Book Club event to meet like-minded people and learn more about issues pertinent to food insecurity and the local food system.

• Become a corporate sponsor or business partner: Sponsorship and cross-promotion opportunities allow businesses to invest in the community through our work toward food security. Over 2,000 volunteer hours are donated annually by our local community.

• Donate: Your financial contributions directly impact families in your community. Whether you wish to donate during one of our fundraising events, run your own personal fundraiser, or take advantage of your employer's match program, you can make healthy food more accessible to families facing food insecurity. Donations are tax deductible.

Q: How can readers help if they can't participate in the program?

A: Besides the many ways listed above, we can customize anyone's involvement to suit their needs and interests. For example:

• Volunteer or intern with us, assisting with operations and marketing tasks such as designing flyers, organizing our program packets, etc.

• Join a committee, task force, or be considered for the board of directors.

• Help us further our reach. We're always looking to connect with local civic organizations and community groups to raise awareness of our work. We also seek to connect with philanthropic minded businesses looking to demonstrate their commitment to improving their community by sponsoring a project.

• Monetary donations, sponsorships, and just helping raise awareness of our work in the community are always appreciated!

Q: Do you have any upcoming programs for potential volunteers?

A: We have several upcoming events to gather and train new volunteers, including our Kickoff event March 8 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds and Events Center. More information can be found at gardenworksproject.org.

Spring Kickoff Events include a Food Growers Network open house and class: Composting and Reducing Food Waste Feb 8; Volunteer Kickoff Meeting March 8; FGN class: Water Conservation in the Garden April 12; Spring Seedling Sale May 19 and 20, (preorders begin March 15).

These events and links are also listed on our interim events page: gardenworksproject.org/events.

Q: What else would you like readers to know?

A: Being the only organization of its kind in western Chicagoland, we have seen how teaching people to grow food for themselves improves not only their physical health, but also their mental and emotional well-being.

Learning to garden is healing and empowering, bringing people together to care for the earth and one another. It empowers families to create something with their own hands while offering the opportunity to connect to their heritage and history.

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The GardenWorks Project

What: The GardenWorks Project is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that promotes food growing to improve food security, health, and wellness for western Chicagoland.

Upcoming programs

• Feb. 8: Food Growers Network Open House and class: Composting and Reducing Food Waste, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at GardenWorks Office, 2100 Manchester Road, Building B, Wheaton

• March 8: Volunteer Kickoff Meeting, 7 p.m. at DuPage Fairground and Event Center, Building 2, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton

For more information or to register, visit gardenworksproject.org/events.