MARION, Ill. – Since 2021, the Cultivating Care Donation Garden has supplied fresh produce to The Salvation Army of Southern Illinois Food Pantry.
Food insecurity affects every community within our state, but it's not just about hunger. It's about having access to food options that meet nutritional needs, which is particularly important for individuals and families with limited resources.
Through collaborative efforts with The Salvation Army of Southern Illinois, Marion First Presbyterian Church, and The City of Marion, Illinois Extension established the Cultivating Care Donation Garden. Since its start, the garden has shared over 2,000 pounds of fresh produce with the Salvation Army Food Pantry. Illinois Extension and its partners continue to supply food for the community through a yearly Community Planting Day, preparing the garden for the season.
Marion Junior High School Service Club was a huge help in preparing beds, pulling weeds, planting seedlings, and pruning fruit trees. These projects cannot be completed without the help of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer at the Cultivating Care Garden, register to attend one of the Stewardship days at go.illinois.edu/CCStewardship26. Or adopt an entire week at go.illinois.edu/CC26Adopt.
If you would just like to volunteer or learn more about the garden, please contact the Williamson County Extension office at (618) 993-3304 or email Toni Kay Wright at tkwright@illinois.edu.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.