Sangamon County, U of I Extension partner to expand Farm to Table efforts in central Illinois

The Sangamon County Board approved $40,000 in funding this month to support a program expansion at the U of I Extension office that covers Sangamon, Menard and Logan counties to bring more institutions to the table to serve more locally sourced, scratch-cooked meals and, therefore grow the market for local farmers to build and strengthen the local food system.  

This comes as the county’s support for a farm-to-school program in Pawnee CUSD #11 finishes its first year of a three-year pilot program. With the help of Beyond Green Partners, that program is surpassing the first-year goals by spending $23,587 on local foods, putting 63% scratch-cooked meals on the menu and decreasing the average food and labor cost per meal by 32% from the baseline.

“The Pawnee Schools pilot program has surpassed our expectations, and we are hearing that more schools are interested in serving more scratch-cooked, local food,” said Jeff Thomas, county board member, district 4. “We believe this partnership with the U of I Extension will dedicate more time and resources to the effort to put us in a great place for expansion and moving closer to a local food system.”

Also because of the success in Pawnee, the county recently funded a two-year pilot program that is just beginning at the Illinois Presbyterian Home, a senior living community in Springfield.

“We are so grateful to the county for funding this pilot program in our community,” said Maryann Walker, director of the Illinois Presbyterian Home. “We are looking forward to working with the training team, local farmers and some of our residents to begin serving more locally sourced food.”

The county has funded assessments at several other schools in Sangamon County, including two Springfield District 186 schools and Williamsville.  

Beyond Green Partners’ non-profit, Sustainable Food Institute of America is also using a grant to help fund training programs that will begin this fall in Porta Community School District #202, New Berlin CUSD #16 and Northwestern CUSD #2.  

“We are so grateful to Sangamon County and the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln for jumpstarting this effort in the county a couple of years ago, since it is really catching fire and we are so grateful that we are on a road to serve more fresh, locally sourced foods to children in the county,” said Greg Christian, SFIA president & CEO.  “This is not just a business for us, it is our passion.  We hope that the success here will continue to spread.  We will be forever grateful to the county for being such a strong partner.”

"All of this early success in Sangamon County is incredibly exciting, and we're thrilled to join as a partner in this growing initiative," said Terri Casey, U of I Extension County Director. "With the county’s support, we are able to expand our efforts and have posted a job opportunity to further develop and build upon the great work already in progress."

The county’s $40,000 investment in his program expansion and new position at the U of I extension will focus on many areas including, but not limited to helping to develop a local foods/agricultural system by connecting stakeholders and producers, coordinating the planning of education activities, identifying critical needs and system gaps and promoting opportunities.

Enhancing rural-urban initiatives was recommended by the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln in its “Next 10” visioning report in 2021. The Next 10 is a series of ideas and initiatives to improve the quality of life in the greater Springfield area.