volunteer opportunities, events, other, (many events/day = dark outline)
Lester St, West Chicago
We are so excited to start our 2018 garden builds, and are very thankful for your help. In less than an hour, we can build a garden together and give our neighbors in need access to fresh produce. For the privacy of our clients, location details will be emailed shortly after signing up to volunteer.
Fall Seedling Talk & Sale
Ensure a consistent harvest through the fall and early winter with a new supply of fall seedlings from One Seed One Plant. Pick-up will be on Thursday, July 26th at 7pm at the Resource Center, with a short presentation by One Seed One Plant, our seedling supplier. Enjoy a free packet of seeds just for coming by! 7pm-9pmThe GardenWorks Project Resource Center, 103 W. Washington St. West Chicago Seedling price: $1.50 each for Food Growers Network Members, $3 for nonmembers. Our organic seedling sale raises much-needed funds so that The GardenWorks Project can continue to provide families in need with home vegetable gardens, and promote home and community food growing throughout DuPage County. Pre-order your seedlings now to ensure you get your top picks. Your order must be picked up on July 26th at the Fall Refresh Sale and Presentation or July 28th from 9am-noon- NO EXCEPTIONS. If you purchase your seedlings online and do not pick up on the day of the sale, the plants will be donated to a family in need via our Home Gardening Program. We appreciate your understanding. Save 50% on this item by becoming a Food Growers Network member for just $20. You’ll also get a tote bag and 20 free seed packets. Just add it to your cart before checking out. Thank you! Shop the presale today!
Harvest Canning Workshop
Luscious gardens to yummy food on your table. Let's take the harvest from YOUR garden and turn it into healthy food for family for the off season. Nothing is better (and cheaper) than fresh grown and home canned vegetables and fruits. Learn the principles of canning in simple terms and get started this season! Elise Ciribassi is a veterinarian by trade, and got started gardening on her off time in rural farm country in Pennsylvania. Food was expensive and the closest grocery store was 30 minutes away. The first year was hand-peeled tomatoes, and over the course of the next 34 years, she has canned and frozen many vegetables and fruits from her local garden in Carol Stream to keep food on the table for her family of four. Every year has a unique growing season that tests her knowledge, challenges her abilities, and allows her to try "something new and different" with the crops she harvests. Her family has enjoyed the canned goods on the table throughout the years, and she has enjoyed assembling many gift baskets for friends and neighbors as well. RSVP By July 25th! Suggested donation of $5 per event or you can sign up for our Food Growers Network today for $20 and have access to all our events.
Food Growers Network Garden Tour
Join us August 4th for the first annual GardenWorks Community Garden Tour. The tour begins at 9:30 AM and will highlight a few of the many community gardens within our region doing good in our neighborhoods! 9:30 AM - The Elmhurst College Sustainability & Heritage Garden, 190 S. Prospect Ave, Elmhurst. 11:00 AM - Veteran's Therapy Garden, Cantigny, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. 12:30 PM - The GardenWorks Project Demonstration Garden and Peace Jam Gardens, 401 West Washington, West Chicago. After the tour, please stay for refreshments and healthy cooking demonstration sponsored by Healthy West Chicago, using our garden harvest! If you're not part of the Food Growers Network, join today and then join us on August 4th for one or all three of the tours!
Cooking with Fall Produce
Embrace Fall flavors by incorporating home-grown vegetables and herbs into your cooking. We’ll explore uses, health benefits and cooking tips for a variety of vegetables and herbs. A hands-on cooking demo will illustrate how to make a delicious Fall salad and dip along with samples of a heart Fall soup. The class will be presented by Laura Walsh, RDN, LDN, She is a culinary nutritionist and dietitian and President of Walsh Nutrition Group, Inc for the past 17 years. Walsh Nutrition Group, Inc. provides nutrition communications, recipe development and nutrient analysis to the food industry. For more info, go to www.walshnutritiongroup.com Suggested donation of $5 per event or you can sign up for our Food Growers Network today for $20 and have access to all our events.
Harvest Against Hunger
Celebrate the harvest with The GardenWorks Project on Saturday, September 29th at 5:00PM for its annual Harvest Against Hunger fundraiser dinner at the College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn. This year's event will feature the following: Harvest-themed food featuring seasonal items from Mighty Greens Farm; Signature cocktails featuring locally grown produce; Garden Tours of COD's Urban Sustainable Agriculture and Horticulture demonstration gardens; Music and entertainment; Raffles and much more! Tickets are $50 per person and your participation will support the work GardenWorks is doing in your community to nourish neighbors in need. Purchase your tickets today, as space is limited! Interested in sponsoring the event? Check out our corporate sponsor packet. Some FAQ's regarding the event: Will this be a formal event?We want this to be a celebration of the seasons, and we want to welcome everyone as they are. It will be a casual event at Homeland Security Building at COD. But come hungry - dinner will be served and vegetarian and vegan option will be available! Why the Homeland Security Technical Institute Building?COD has a "Street Scene" venue for their homeland security program trainings, and we booked all of "Main Street" for our event! We will be working over the next month to make the space spectacular, which will require moving the fire truck to make space for our guests. If you're interested, we'll even have tours of the facility on the day of the event. What will we be doing?We will enjoy food while we celebrate a successful summer of gardening for the food insecure. Students from COD that received support from The GardenWorks Project in 2017 for their community garden will present their work and progress on supplying their on-site fuel pantry, and we will be also have the privilege of viewing the Horticulture and Sustainable Urban Agriculture Program demo gardens and learning facilities with guided tours from staff and students. Will there be raffles? Yes! Stay tuned to social media and our newsletter for a listing of raffle baskets! Our latest is a four-some pass from Prairie Land Golf Course in West Chicago, a $400 retail value! Do I need to purchase tickets now? YES! Because COD's Culinary team plans on a creative display of small plates for the evening, they need to know our numbers to best accommodate our guests. So if you have not purchased tickets yet, reserve your spottoday as there is a max capacity at the venue! What if I have dietary restrictions? Can I still enjoy the dinner at the event? Here is the preliminary dinner menu - what a harvest it will be! This casual event will feature a series of small plates to enjoy while walking around with guests, taking tours, and listening to music. Also, we can accommodate for particular dietary restrictions and allergies - please email [email protected] if you have any specifics you need us to account for that night. What will be happening that night? I hear there are tours - can I take both tours? We will be meeting at the Homeland Security Education Center Building at the Street Scene venue. Weather permitting, we'll have garden tours of the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Facility and Horticulture Learning Labs. In addition, we'll be in a state-of-the-art technical building for Homeland Security training, and the associate dean of programs will be giving tours. Feel free to take both tours if you'd like, and enjoy jazz music from a student ensemble, and we have 15 fantastic raffle prizes for the night! Speaking of raffles, we are grateful to have Ken Reif Artworks donate an original painting for our raffle (valued at $400). Check out his website - his artwork is nature-based, and here is an example of his stylistic work. Stay tuned to social media and our newsletter for additional raffle baskets!
Talking S*!t with Steve
Steve Passarelli lives in West Chicago and has been gardening and composting for over thirty years. This presentation will cover the basics of composting as well as a question and answer session. Discussion will include what materials to use, ideal placement, tending the piles, when compost is ready, and how to use it. There will also be a double compost bin on display with free plans that include a material/cut list. Just in time for Fall, we will be discussing how to turn leaves into leaf mold, which will be a wonderful amendment to next seasons gardens.
Beekeeping and Pollinators Workshop
Growing Tuesday
On Tuesday, November 27th, the nation will participate in an annual one-day fundraising event, #GivingTuesday. The GardenWorks Project will participate in this one-day campaign that we will call #GrowingTuesday, and we ask you to consider supporting us in the ways we are growing as an organization.
Sign Up for the Food Growers Network
Join us in January; Sign up for the Food Growers Network and support all gardeners in their efforts to grow and prepare food for themselves and their neighbors in need. This membership-based Food Growers Network aims to build community and provide resources to those growing food, offering learning opportunities to improve your annual harvest, as well as insight and expertise from partners and master gardeners. For $20 a year, your fee will provide you with many benefits - from seed and seedling discounts to courses and workshops - and help support GardenWorks programs that support healthy eating, and improve food security for our neighbors in need. By becoming a member of The GardenWorks Project Food Growers Network, you’ll have access to gardening resources through our Suburban Agriculture Resource Center (inside Gallery 200, 103 W. Washington St., West Chicago). We welcome you to partner with us and the DuPage County gardening community to start or expand your home or community garden.
Fall Seedling Sale 2022
Visit The GardenWorks Project at its new headquarters in Wheaton! The GardenWorks Project will be holding its Vegetable Seedling Sale and pre-sale pickup at the Fairgrounds (West parking lot) this year. Visit our shop to purchase ahead of time - supplies are limited, and pickup will be at between 9AM-12PM.
Food Growers Network Event 2022
The GardenWorks Project is proud to host a Community Garden Tour and Gardeners Panel. The in-person, outdoor event will provide a close-up tour of the DuPage Community Garden grounds, as well as discuss the importance of the community gardening movement within the region to secure food access and equity for all. A gardener panel will provide opportunities for questions, tips, and techniques, as well as ways to get more involved in the food growing movement.
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVP
Food Growers Network Event 2022
The GardenWorks Project is proud to host a Food Growers Network event at the St. Charles Public Library. Canning and preserving your harvest is a practical way to extend your seasonal eating into winter. There are many different preservation techniques and many of these will be discussed. Join us for an important discussion on building resilience within the region through improved sustainability and greater health and wellness.
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVP
Volunteer Food Growers
Join us as maintain and steward build our gardens at the DuPage County Fairgrounds. We are looking for volunteers with weekly tasks that should finish in one hour or less! No experience necessary, but be ready to get your hands dirty. Please RSVP and specific address and meet up locations will be sent directly to you. Hope to see you there! Save
RSVPGardenWorks Food Readers
We invite you to join The GardenWorks Food Readers Book Club's fall gathering. We will discuss Dirt to Soil: One Family's Journey into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown. In Dirt to Soil Gabe Brown tells the story of that amazing journey and offers a wealth of innovative solutions to restoring the soil by laying out and explaining his “five principles of soil health,” which are: Limited Disturbance Armor Diversity Living Roots Integrated Animals The Brown’s Ranch model, developed over twenty years of experimentation and refinement, focuses on regenerating resources by continuously enhancing the living biology in the soil. Using regenerative agricultural principles, Brown’s Ranch has grown several inches of new topsoil in only twenty years! Find out more and discover as a community different ways our western Chicagoland region can engage in this important topic of earth stewardship.
RSVP