Central Illinois communities come together to feed families By sharing a little, we can help a lot. Across Central Illinois, families are struggling with food insecurity, unsure where their next meal will come from. Starting in 2019, Illinois Extension staff partnered with local growers to donate more than 64,000 pounds through food pantries. Don’t dump Halloween pumpkins, donate or compost them Every year, come November billions of jack-o’-lanterns whose wilting faces are now past their prime need to find a new home. Instead of tossing them into the trash or dumping them in a natural area, compost them! Teen wins national 4-H award for local, global STEM education activism When Dhruv Rebba first visited the Indian village his father grew up in, he saw a community struggling because it didn’t have access to the internet. The Illinois 4-H member knew he had the skills and drive to make a difference and he recently won a national 4-H award for his efforts. The Hunt for Orange October: Master Naturalists track monarchs On their annual 3,000 mile migration to Mexico, monarch butterflies rest in select trees. A group of Illinois Extension volunteers, The Secret Society of Monarch Roost Hunters, scout for these roosts and report their findings as part of a community science research project to help this at-risk species. Master Gardener coordinator wins award for pandemic work Tabitha Elder, Illinois Extension Champaign County horticulture program coordinator, was one of 16 civil service employees recognized for exceptional performance by the University of Illinois with the Chancellor's Distinguished Staff Award. Urban beekeeper's planned expansion pays off during pandemic Oscar Villa graduated the Cook County Master Urban Farmer program in 2018. With a plan in place, he expanded from a hobby to a business.
