A Springfield community garden donated 4,214 pounds of fruits and vegetables to Second Harvest Food Bank in 2025, building on a years-long partnership between the two organizations.
Victory Garden at Snyder Park Gardens and Arboretum is run by the Master Gardeners Association, operating through volunteer work with community members.
"The average volunteer is around 70-years-old so it's not even the younger people that are doing it. It's our older generation," said Aliyah Baker, development specialist for Second Harvest Food Bank. "It's just really inspiring seeing them."
Victory Garden grows a variety of produce, including squash, eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, corn and more. When the garden has excess, they donate it to the local food bank for its order ahead and food locker programs.
The food lockers on-site at 20 N. Murray St. offer 24/7 pickup options for food bank clients that are unable to visit during warehouse hours for the pre-scheduled order ahead option.
“Our partner agencies can also pick it up here directly from us, from the foodbank, so they can take it to their food pantry so they can give it out to the neighbors that they serve," she said.
Second Harvest Food Bank partners with more than 60 local food pantries and organizations to alleviate hunger in Champaign, Clark and Logan counties.
Baker said it is through local partnerships like the one with Victory Garden that they are able to better serve those in need.
"We just kind of figure out week by week what we're going to get, if we can get anything at all. It's just up to the produce, essentially," she said. "But we always look forward to their donations."
Garden donations have also helped Second Harvest Food Bank expand their order ahead program, going from around 90 weekly orders to 150.
"Especially during the summer, just getting that fresh produce so families can have those fresh healthy meals when their kids are out of school," she said.
The Springfield-based food bank has also given back to the garden. Earlier in the year, Second Harvest awarded a $1,000 grant to help fund the construction of a new fence to protect the garden and increase harvest numbers.
Baker said building on these strong partnerships is what makes their food bank a special community resource for all.
"We're all part of a community together," she said. "So we want everyone to know that we're here for everybody. And it's not just a specific group of people. It's not one county, we're for everyone."
