Summer Eats program has expanded into Polo

DIXON — United Way of Lee County is proud to be able to offer a free summer meal program for kids and teens in Lee County. This program provides free meals all summer long and provides each child with three meals to take home with them every week. The goal of the program is to address food insecurity in our county and make sure that every child and family has access to meals when school is out of session.

In 2023, United Way of Lee County served over 11,000 meals at 11 sites. This program is 100% funded by donations and grants from the community. This summer, we expanded our Summer Eats program into Polo. We also serve meals in Amboy, Ashton, Franklin Grove, Paw Paw and Dixon.

We currently serve at Old Lincoln School (Open Sesame), St. Paul Church, Splash Pad at Vaile Park and Wooden Wonderland every Wednesday from 12-12:30pm. Beginning July 3, we will also begin serving at Dixon High School, Jefferson School and Washington school on Wednesdays from 12-12:30pm. We also serve at the following libraries during their open hours on Wednesdays: Amboy, Ashton, Dixon, Franklin Grove, Paw Paw and Polo. The meals will be delivered to the libraries on Wednesdays, and can be picked up any day during their open hours as supplies last.

You can help support this program through monetary donations. They can be mailed to Box 382, Dixon IL, 61021.  We served over 11,000 meals last summer, and we anticipate a greater need this year. In just three weeks of the program, we have served over 3,000 meals. The program will run through Aug. 7.

Summertime is a busy time of year for many organizations, and in our monthly column I always like to feature a United Way partner agency. This month, I would like to spotlight Dixon Community Gardens and Franklin Creek Conservation Association.

For the last six years, Dixon Community Gardens has offered raised bed gardens for residents to grow their own produce throughout the local growing season. For a fee, gardeners receive a large garden bed with rich amended soil, the use of garden tools and access to water.

Gardeners also are welcome to harvest strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus from the shared perennial garden beds maintained by the Dixon Community Garden committee. Throughout the gardens, there are pollinator pockets of flowers to draw bees and butterflies to the gardens. In the last year, a native planting area was added to the gardens.

Dixon Community Gardens are on property owned by First Presbyterian Church of Dixon near the corner of Fourth and Ottawa streets. All of the 36 garden beds are in use for the 2024 season. Those interested in having a garden in 2025 should contact Nancy Wadsworth at nancylee54@gmail.com or Sarah Bingaman at sarahbingaman@comcast.net.

Financial support from United Way of Lee County has allowed the Dixon Community Garden committee to improve the common areas of the property, purchase a tool shed and purchase new metal raised beds. Support from the United Way allows the group to keep the cost of renting a garden bed affordable for all.

The next organization, I would like to spotlight is the Franklin Creek Conservation Association. The Franklin Creek Conservation Association was developed in 1981 by area citizens to protect the Franklin Creek watershed from development. In 1982, dedication services were held to officially designate the area as a State Natural Area. Fast-forward to today, and the Franklin Creek State Natural Area has become an awe-inspiring destination not far off the beaten path, providing a diverse selection of attractions including 900-plus acres of several large natural springs, hardwood forests, over 500-million-year-old bedrock outcroppings, hill prairies, and a large variety of flora and fauna promoting a diverse ecosystem.

The various attractions bring visitors from all corners of the world. Given the attraction this extraordinary area brings, it is part of FCCA’s mission to continue maintenance and restoration of the area to provide visitors the best possible accommodations during their stay. By partnering with the United Way, the FCCA was able to disassemble an outdated and unsafe shelter roof and replace with a new steel roof that is built to last well beyond the life of the previous roof. This project has made a tremendous impact by continuing to promote and advocate for visitors to enjoy the abundance of activities this great area has to offer, promoting education, health and overall well-being of those visiting the Franklin Creek State Natural Area.

There is so much to enjoy this summer in our community! Whether you are working outdoors in your garden, grabbing a meal from our Summer Eats program or exploring a trail at FCCA, I hope that you are able to have the best summer yet.

• Ashley Richter is the executive director of United Way of Lee County.