The Oak Park Avenue Victory Garden has gotten a late start this year, but thanks to long-time Tinley Park resident Diane Byrne, it has a promising future.
The Victory Garden was established in 2009 by Jim and Lois Fuentes who felt that a piece of their property that was sitting empty might serve a better purpose. Each year the garden has grown a variety of vegetables that are given to local food pantries. The garden is an entirely volunteer-run project and has been maintained by a small handful of people over the past six years. A variety of circumstances has prompted the need for more help if the garden is to continue. Diane Byrne heard of the need and has stepped up to take on the project.
“This is an opportunity to give back to the community and maybe encourage some future gardeners,” said Byrne.
Anyone who has done any serious gardening knows that it is not as easy as it looks. There is a lot of physical labor involved, but Byrne is an avid gardener and said she is ready for the challenge.
“I have a late start this year so I won’t produce as much but my focus is on preparing the soil for a good start next year,” said Byrne. So far she has planted tomatoes, peppers, squash, watermelon, strawberries and a variety of herbs.
The garden is a big job for one lady. It is also a great project opportunity for scout groups and students seeking community service hours. Byrne is currently looking for plastic milk jugs and a small outdoor storage shed to keep her tools in. Come fall, she will need lots of leaves for mulching.
If you are interested in helping you can contact Diane Byrne at (708) 429-9910.
Together We Cope food pantry doing well
I stopped in at Together We Cope in Tinley Park to check on the food pantry there. I’ve learned over the years that the summer months can be tough for food pantries as donations tend to be lower. I was really pleased to see that they are in a much better state than in summers past.
The pantry serves 50 to 60 families each day from 27 area communities and distributes an amazingly large quantity of food and personal care items.
Assistant Manager Chris Saletta walked me through the work and storage areas of the pantry. This is no little operation. Teams of volunteers were taking in donations, processing clients, preparing packages, stocking shelves, cleaning produce and performing a myriad of other activities.
According to Saletta, the summer surplus is due to several factors. The pantry is receiving fresh produce from several local farms this year. Pepperidge Farms, Panera Bread, Chick-fil-a, Chipotle, Famous Dave’s, Bonefish Grill, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Eurofresh, GFS, Vitners and Walmart all contribute their surplus food products on a regular basis. There have also been some very successful food drives held recently, such as the local postal service food drive held in May which netted 40,000 pounds of food for the pantry. The pantry also receives food items once a week from the Greater Chicago Food Depository and produce twice a month from the Community Economic Development Association (CEDA). It takes all of this, along with the donations of individuals, to keep the pantry stocked and capable of serving their clients in need.
Despite this bounty, there are still some items that are hard to keep in stock, such as jelly, cereal, Ramen noodles and personal care items like razors, shaving cream, body wash, mouth wash and conditioner. This is also the time of year when Together We Cope is in need of donations of school supplies. The organization puts together a new backpack filled with all of the necessary supplies for a child to start the school year. A $20 donation will provide a complete backpack.
The TWC food pantry succeeds because of a well coordinated system of networking, dedicated employees and volunteers, and generous contributors. Saletta’s passion for her work was obvious. “I can’t wait to get here in the mornings,” said Saletta. “I love the constant activity and our volunteers. I know that we are making a difference in people’s lives, and that is a great feeling.”
You can contact Together We Cope at (708) 633- 5040. Donations can be dropped off at 17010 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.
Julie Dekker is a freelance columnist.
