Food insecurity is a widespread issue in Illinois' southernmost counties. This lack of food, especially healthy food, decreases the likelihood that residents will live healthy lives. We strive to work with community organizations and community members to grow fresh food for our communities of Metropolis and Cairo.
Plant a Row, Watch COPE Grow Food Donation Garden
The Plant a Row, Watch COPE Grow Food Donation Garden is a partnership between University of Illinois Extension, SIU Credit Union, and COPE. Established in 2018, the garden has received over $25,000 in donations and grant funding. Community volunteers have given about 500 hours of time to planting, tending, and harvesting produce. To date we’ve grown over 1,850 pounds of produce, all donated to COPE. This fresh produce helps supplement the food options available at the pantry, and is a locally grown source of nutritious, healthy food for our community members.
With the help of many volunteers and local organizations, the garden grew 593 pounds of produce to donate to COPE Food Pantry in 2023. This food included cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens, and more. SNAP Ed provided recipes, signage, and other nutrition education materials to COPE to complement the harvested produce. Nutrition education was also provided for guests through Eat.Move.Save booths at the pantry.
The garden also serves as a demonstration site for the community to learn more about raised bed gardening and vertical gardening.
The Pilot Garden: Cairo's Food Donation Garden
The Pilot Garden: Cairo's Food Donation Garden is a partnership between University of Illinois Extension, Daystar Community Programs, and Southern 7 Health Department. Established in 2021, the garden has received over $35,000 in donations and grant funding. Community volunteers have given over 1,000 hours of time to planting, tending, and harvesting produce. To date we’ve grown over 2,900 pounds of produce, all donated to Daystar Community Programs. The garden grew 969 pounds of produce in 2023, and our volunteers gave over 400 hours of their time to make this happen! This fresh, locally grown produce helps supplement the food offered from Daystar to provide a source of nutritious produce for the community.
This garden is a host for several programming opportunities, including SNAP-Ed holding Eat.Move.Save booths and adding nutritional signage to the garden and Extension staff engaging youth at Cairo Elementary School in a monthly gardening program called Garden Tales. The garden offers more than just produce, it has a sensory garden for the five senses and a pollinator garden as well. Youth from around the community have painted rocks to display vibrant colors in the garden and there are birdhouses placed around the garden for bird watching.
The garden also serves as a demonstration site for the community to learn more about raised bed gardening, drip irrigation, vertical gardening, and gardening with native plants.
If you would like to volunteer in one of our gardens, please contact Anne Townsend at cupquake@illinois.edu.
What's Happening?
With spring on the way, we are planning our upcoming workdays!
The Pilot Garden
Join us for a garden orientation (for all returning and new volunteers) and first workday on March 6 at 9am at The Pilot Garden in Cairo.
Stewardship workdays will be held on Wednesdays from 9-10am at The Pilot Garden on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Flyer
Interested in volunteering on a regular basis? Volunteers are invited to come and care for the garden by watering, weeding, harvesting produce, and delivering it to Daystar. Contact Anne at cupquake@illinois.edu to get added to the volunteer schedule.
Join us for our summer programs open to the public, Open Gates, which are held on the second Mondays of the month May through September, from 5-6pm. We will be hosting special activities and SNAP Education will host a booth with recipes and taste-testing. Flyer
The Plant a Row Garden
Stay tuned for more information on orientation and workdays for 2024!
