The GardenWorks Project
Everyone deserves fresh produce
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Nearly fifty food pantries exist in DuPage County to alleviate hunger among its most vulnerable residents. While area food pantries fill a vital need, they often are not able to store or distribute fresh produce, and if they do, the produce is often nearing the end of its shelf-life and rarely organic. Charity is not enough to combat food insecurity. Food pantries may satisfy a family's hunger today, but what about tomorrow?
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Home Gardening Program
The goal of the GardenWorks Project’s Home Gardening Program is to teach clients how to grow vegetables at home to supplement the offerings they receive at the food pantry, which are often shelf-stable processed foods. Food pantry staff connects their clients with our organization, and volunteers work with the client to build a 4’ x 8’ raised bed garden (or balcony container if yard space is not available), plant seeds and seedlings, maintain the garden, and harvest the food.
We educate our clients how to supplement their families' diet with home grown vegetables, promoting self-sufficiency, pride, access to nutritious food, decreased dependence on food pantries, and increased physical activity. Participants in our program learn to grow the food that they like to eat – culturally appropriate foods that may not be available in food pantries. We teach organic growing methods and good stewardship of the environment. In 2017, we built 87 gardens for area families, impacting approximately 150 children. The number of gardens built every year is based on the organization’s revenue received and volunteer capacity.
Community Gardening Program
We know we can’t build a garden for all 74,000 food insecure people in DuPage County. In 2017, the organization expanded its reach with the goal to increase the supply of local foods in DuPage County food pantries and created the Community Gardening Support Program. This program equips other community groups and non-profit organizations to provide gardening opportunities to children and adults in the community garden setting. Five groups were chosen to receive raised bed frames, seeds, seedlings, a community garden reference book, and other resources to ensure a successful harvest. A stipulation to participation in the program is that each recipient of supplies must donate a portion of the produce grown there to local food pantries. We hope to expand this program in the next growing season to empower organizations to serve those in need in a practical way.
Food Growers Network
In an effort to inspire, empower and educate home and community gardeners to grow vegetables and donate a portion to our area food pantries, The Food Growers Network was created in 2017. This membership-based program offers supplies and educational opportunities for home gardeners, regardless of income level, to gain skills in growing produce. In the Food Growers Network, DuPage residents have found a community of like-minded individuals interested in growing food for themselves and those in need.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of community-based organizations providing primary prevention services in nutrition
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Home Gardening Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of partnerships within the region with organizations serving individuals facing food insecurity.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The GardenWorks Project provides families in need with the resources to grow their own food at home, which encourages self-sufficiency and reduces their dependence on food pantries. A family who grows vegetables at home can supplement what they receive from food pantries and balance shelf-stable foods that are often higher in fat and sodium with nutritious produce. Growing food at home also reduces overall food costs freeing funds for other household needs, instills feelings of pride, and encourages good stewardship of the environment.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The GardenWorks Project's Home Gardening Program teaches clients how to grow vegetables at home to supplement the offerings they receive at the food pantry, which is often shelf-stable, highly processed, and high in fat and sodium. We partner with food pantries to identify clients who are both in need and wish to learn home food production skills. GardenWorks Project volunteers, alongside each client, build a 4' x 8' raised bed garden (or balcony container if yard space is not available), plant seeds and seedlings, maintain the garden, and harvest the food. By participating in The GardenWorks Project's Home Gardening Program, clients learn home food production skills, giving their family access to healthy, organically-grown vegetables.
In addition, participants in our program learn to grow the food that they like to eat – culturally appropriate foods that may not be available in food pantries. We teach organic growing methods and good stewardship of the environment. In 2017, we built 87 gardens for area families, impacting approximately 150 children. The number of gardens built every year is based on the organization's revenue received and volunteer capacity.
In 2017, the organization expanded its reach with the goal to increase the supply of local foods in DuPage County food pantries and created the Community Gardening Support Program. This program equips other community groups and non-profit organizations to provide gardening opportunities to children and adults in the community garden setting. Five groups were chosen to receive raised bed frames, seeds, seedlings, a community garden reference book, and other resources to ensure a successful harvest. A stipulation to participation in the program is that each recipient of supplies must donate a portion of the produce grown there to local food pantries.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Over 200 volunteers supported our spring build season in 2017. We are mostly volunteer-run, and our budget is mostly composed of program costs related to the Home Gardening Program and Community Gardening Program. In addition, we have worked with over 35 area food pantries and social service organizations to receive referrals of families and households facing food insecurity. These referrals cannot all be met due to the high demand. We are the only organization of its kind in the area, and we continue to work towards expansion and growth.
To address this demand, we began the Community Gardening Program, which aims to bridge the gap between families that need nutritious options and the food pantries they are often reliant on. Five groups were awarded in 2017, and an additional five will be awarded in 2018 to address this need, and all groups are required to donate a portion of their harvest to their local food pantry, along with use their gardens for the purposes of nutrition education.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Based on the strategic plan's goals, we have addressed and accomplished the following so far:
1. The GardenWorks Project built 87 gardens in 2017, and has a goal for 90 new home gardens in the western Chicagoland region in 2018.
2. The GardenWorks Project has begun its second year providing the Food Growers Network to a membership base of over 100 individuals. This network provide 10 educational events throughout the year. In addition, board members and staff continue to be recruited to present at area garden clubs and other associations, such as the Sierra Club, being a standing member at the Food Security Council of DuPage County, and presenting at DuPage County.
3. The GardenWorks Project continues to grow in its development of a board. Newer to the board is a governance committee and the organization continues to develop more sophisticated measures of board development, such as creating a board development matrix and utilizing an assessment model for improvement.
4. The GardenWorks Project continues to have a high response from volunteers, exceeding 200 for spring and fall builds for the last 3 years.
5. The GardenWorks Project acquired a physical space in West Chicago in 2017, and currently leases the space to hold educational events, offer a resource library, and a space for tools and materials for our programs.
6. The GardenWorks Project continues to diversify its funding streams. Through social media outlets and other smaller peer campaigns, individual giving has increased significantly, and is expected to also increase 25% this year. In addition, the organization is proud to have repeat givers, not only within our base of corporate sponsors that continue to support our spring builds year after year, but also for our foundation grants, such as Home Depot, Grove Foundation, and several other local foundations.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
The GardenWorks Project
Board of directorsas of 03/07/2023
Emily Kehoe
Matt Tansley
Kane County
Term: 2022 - 2024
Nancy Bell
TC Wealth Partners
Jennifer Charles
College of DuPage
Bill Waters
Retired
Joy Rosenburg
Retired
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as: