Everything Under The Sun: Seeds Of Food Security

Monday, March 14, 2016

Seeds Of Food Security

One of the families, with a garden installed by GardenWorks.

More and more frequently, as time goes by, I notice how many places are making provision to provide food for those who are food insecure. Public school systems all around the US are making sure students have enough to eat, some even stretching to provide food outside of school hours. Even some colleges and universities have stepped in, with food pantries of their own, for students who are burdened with heavy student loans and can't support themselves completely with part-time work.

So, it's no surprise that there are different ideas and groups to support communities where high numbers of people just can't afford to feed their families enough food. THE GARDENWORKS PROJECT, in the west Chicago suburbs, is teaching families in need how to maintain their own home gardens.

In 2011, Tina Koral founded this organization and continues to serve as its volunteer Executive Director. The GardenWorks Project installed four home gardens in 2012 and over the years has increased that number to a total of 76 households that now have the home gardens. Residents with these gardens are provided with compost, and vegetable plants and seeds for a period of two years after the garden is installed. Each family also receives its own gardening coach, who helps them through the intricacies of the growing season.

GardenWorks also provides group education in organic gardening techniques, including best practices, composting, starting seeds, and how to extend harvests outside of growing seasons. There is also a beginning gleaning program, in which volunteers harvest produce from a community garden and provide the harvest to local food banks, adding fresh fruits and vegetables to their offerings. What they harvest is the produce which would have otherwise gone to waste at the Glen Ellyn Park District's community garden. Tina pointed out, "Fruit gleaning not only feeds the hungry, it builds community."

Seed packets donated by DollarSeed Garden Seeds.

Ms. Koral began her work after noting that even though those who lived in the suburbs might appear wealthy, there is still hunger and poverty in their midst. According to the West Suburban Community Pantry, "Over 95,000 people in DuPage County go to bed hungry every night. Of those, over 45,000 are children." This is a staggering issue in this country, that looks so wealthy on the surface. In just a short time, a program like The GardenWorks Project, can have an impact, while providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables.