Blog Archive

Michael Howard and his wife Amelia Howard hold vegetables from their farm

Reclaiming the land: The story of Eden Place Farms

September 16, 2025

How an urban farm is healing history and feeding ChicagoIn the heart of Chicago’s Fuller Park, a quiet revolution has taken root. Eden Place Farms stands as a sanctuary against the city’s enduring food desert — a growing testament to how vision, grit,...

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Tony Stirling holding a row of his hydroponic lettuce

More Than a Warehouse: Down at the Farms’ Satellite Hubs Fuel Food Access

August 7, 2025

Cultivating Connections

Every Tuesday, Tony Stirling of Valley Fresh Harvest hauls 150 pounds of lettuce from his hydroponic operation in Ladd to the Down at the Farms warehouse near Fairbury. Down at the Farms coordinates its sale...

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IL-EATS provides ‘home-cooked’ goodness for Illinois veterans at The Joseph Center

July 4, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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...

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Local food, lasting dignity: IL-EATS fuels Collinsville pantry’s mission

June 12, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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...

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blue two rivers head start sign in front of their building

Two Rivers Head Start Agency: ‘There is hope and there is help’

May 28, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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...

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student in blue jacket with a yellow patch that says agricultural education

Agriculture matters: IL-EATS provides students hands-on experiences in animal production

March 24, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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....

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IL-EATS revives a farm-family dream at Indian Point Ranch

February 7, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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...

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Two Rooted for Good employees stand next to 3 people proudly showing off their garlic harvest

Fresh solutions: How Rooted For Good is transforming hunger relief in DeKalb County

January 17, 2025

Cultivating Connections

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...

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Blog Archive

Cultivating Connections 2025