Cultivating Connections 2025

The journey home for some military veterans isn’t without its own battles. The Joseph Center in East St. Louis fills the gap, providing transitional housing and supportive services for nearly 125 veterans each year. Now, the center has a new...

As a child, Stacy Jones stood in line at a food pantry with her grandmother.“I know what it’s like to be hungry and to have to ask for food,” she says. Now she’s ensuring the people standing in the Collinsville Food Pantry line are treated with...

The families picking up food at the Two Rivers Head Start Agency food pantry in Aurora Friday morning were diverse in all ways except one; none expected to be where they find themselves today, needing assistance to feed their family. Luke, 44, whose wife...

Delia Jackson is a fan of agriculture. The COVID-19 pandemic showed her just how important and resilient the ag industry is and how vital it is for youth to be involved.Delia, an animal science grad, was a meat and poultry inspector for state and federal plants in Illinois during the pandemic....

Max Allbritten lives in the home his grandparents built in the 60s, less than a thousand feet across the road from his childhood home and where his parents live today. In the six years since his father’s retirement from farming, the barns and equipment have slipped into disrepair. Max was...

Rooted For Good is the glue that binds together the many helping organizations in DeKalb County. When the Local Food Purchase Assistance program was announced, the group’s leadership knew...