Your Community

There are many groups and organizations throughout Lake County working to feed their hungry neighbors and educate communities about the importance of eating fresh food. There are also countless ways to support these groups as they do this important work.

Learn more about what is happening in your community by searching through the organizational and project profiles below. You can filter by community, or type of organization. Descriptions of organizations are included as are volunteer opportunities for residents who want to get involved. Each organization has also listed areas in which they are looking for partnerships in an effort to help nonprofits better understand areas of potential collaboration, overlap, and gaps in services throughout the County.

drop us a note here

Community Organizations

ASD Foundation, Inc./EGGceptional Abilities

To custom design a program for those on the ASD spectrum to provide meaningful responsibilities and tasks related to the care of egg laying hens while promoting independence, real life job experience, and engendering self-worth in a controlled and supportive environment.

Beacon Place

Beacon Place is a neighborhood community center in Waukegan with programs for children and families that focus on academic growth, improved health, and building the skills that allow individuals and families to see their own path to a brighter tomorrow.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago

Catholic Charities fulfills the Church’s role in the mission of charity to anyone in need by providing compassionate, competent, and professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families, and communities based on the value and dignity of human life.

Chicago Botanic Garden Green Youth Farm

We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.

CLC Campus Farm

The mission of the College of Lake County Horticulture Department is to provide high quality, accessible, affordable education addressing the science, art, and business of horticulture, sustainable agriculture, landscape design, and natural areas management.

CLC Horticulture Department

The mission of the College of Lake County Horticulture Department is to provide high quality, accessible, affordable education addressing the science, art, and business of horticulture, sustainable agriculture, landscape design, and natural areas management.

Fremont Township Community Garden

Our mission is to maintain a beautiful, productive, organic garden that will demonstrate sustainable gardening techniques, while providing educational and service opportunities to our local residents and fresh produce for our food pantry.

GreenTown Grows

GreenTown Waukegan is a group of citizens—working under a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation—to grow healthy food, without herbicides or pesticides, to feed low-income families. We also promote the concept of urban farming and help to plant other community gardens.

Growing Healthy People

Simply put, we are impacting lives by growing food.

Lake County Audubon Society

The mission of the Lake County Audubon Society is education, conservation, and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.

Lake County Farm Bureau

To promote agriculture while serving our members.

LCHD Be Well Lake County Diabetes Program

Promoting the health and well being of all who live, work and play in Lake County.

Liberty Prairie Foundation

We work across Lake County and the region to incubate and mentor beginning sustainable local food farmers, provide fresh food access in underserved communities, educate and inspire youth, connect farmers with land, and shape policy that affects our local food system.

Live Well Lake County Eat Well Action Team

To empower those who live, work, and play in Lake County to have access, resources, skills and knowledge to eat healthy by cultivating strong collaborations and aligning community efforts.

Mindful Waste

Our mission is to eliminate food waste through education, prevention, and recovery.

Northern Illinois Food Bank

The mission of Northern Illinois Food Bank is to lead the Northern Illinois community in solving hunger by providing nutritious meals to those in need through innovative programs and partnerships.

Roberti Community House

The mission of Roberti Community House is to nourish, educate, and empower community members so that they can acknowledge, appreciate, and actualize their individual strengths and talents.

Round Lake Area Garden Club

The mission of the Round Lake Area Garden Club is to create learning opportunities, develop a safe space where the community can harvest freely, increase access to plants and seeds, provide education to help people grow their own food, and expand knowledge of what is edible in the community.

Smart Farm

Smart Farm is an educational garden for the Barrington area and nearby communities. Adults, children, and students learn about their agricultural heritage, organic gardening, the slow food movement, and best practices for living “green,” sustainable lives.

University of Illinois Extension

Food access is a key component of our unit working with schools, farms, and community gardens to help all residents with healthier food options.
Our 4-H youth works with all aspects of life skills to include food related, gardening, robotics and more.

Waukegan Park District

The Waukegan Park District is committed to providing parks, facilities, and leisure opportunities to our culturally diverse population through leadership with community involvement, dedicated staff, and sound management.