Current Recipient

The chosen charity was The Garden Works Project

The GardenWorks Project, helps families facing food insecurity in DuPage County by building home vegetable gardens and providing organic gardening education. The recipients of the gardens are reliant on emergency food assistance.  GardenWorks volunteers install a 4' x 8' raised bed garden, soil, compost, seedlings, seeds and provide gardening tools and access to all of the educational tools needed to grow a successful garden from seed to harvest.  The Home Garden recipients receive garden refreshes in the Spring and the Fall for three years as well as ongoing education and training on gardening, maintenance and even cooking. In 2024, they planted 168 garden beds.

GardenWorks also supports community gardens by donating supplies for 4 raised beds, soil, compost and seeds to new Community Garden sites at schools, churches and even businesses. The Community Gardens donate produce to the local food banks that they have partnerships with.  Fish Pantry in Downers Grove is one of their recipients of the gleaned produce from the Community Gardens.

They are also the regional operator of Fresh Food Connect, recruiting volunteer home gardeners that donate thousands of pounds of product to local food banks each year.