Rooted for Good loses estimated $750K meant to help feed DeKalb County residents

GENOA – An estimated $750,000 in federal funding that nonprofit Rooted for Good would have used to purchase food from Illinois farmers to stock DeKalb County food pantries has been lost, the result of a policy change from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

On March 4, the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced that the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program and the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program can no longer operate in Illinois. The programs run on reimbursements from the federal government, which were cut after an order from President Donald Trump. The reimbursement initiative had been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic.

That policy shift came almost eight weeks after the Illinois Department of Agriculture announced that the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, due to expire June 30, would continue thanks to $14.7 million in federal grant funding.

Rooted for Good Executive Director Heather Edwards said the policy changes have caused chaos for the local organization that has distributed more than 2 million pounds of food since 2012.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” Edwards said. “One moment we know we have [federal funding], and the next moment it’s taken away, and then there have been cases where it has come back.”

As of Tuesday, Edwards said Rooted for Good, formerly known as DeKalb County Community Gardens, will be able to continue participating in the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program until the end of June.

Edwards said the state’s loss of $14.7 million in federal grant funding for the food assistance program means Rooted for Good will lose an estimated $750,000.

“That just kind of means that we aren’t going to be able to work with our local farmers anymore to get that fresh produce, and protein and dairy, like we had been getting at a very large scale compared to what is normal for us,” Edwards said.

The organization had used the funds to purchase produce from 15 Illinois farmers, including some in DeKalb County, Edwards said.

That food is distributed to anyone who wants it. There are no requirements to receive food through Rooted for Good. The nonprofit also operates a mobile food pantry pop-up in Cortland, DeKalb, Hinckley, Malta, Sandwich and Waterman.

Rooted for Good also runs the Genoa Area Community Food Hub, 415 W. Main St., and a seasonal location in Kirkland, 33600 Pearl St.

Food insecurity in Genoa

Of the 19 people who stood outside the Genoa Area Community Food Hub on Tuesday afternoon waiting to be offered a chance to shop for free groceries, about half were children.

All parts of the community were there seeking assistance, including people who appeared to be of retirement age. Many of those waiting spoke Spanish, while others spoke English. Some waited in their car, while others walked or rode a bicycle to the downtown Genoa location.

Vicki Swierad, recently hired as Rooted for Good’s director of the Genoa Area Community Food Hub, said she took the job because she wants to spend her energy helping others.

“I finally wanted to get out of the corporate world, because that’s where I was for too many years, and give back to the community,” Swierad said.

The Genoa food hub is open from 9 to 11 a.m. on the first and third Monday of the month, and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday.

On March 25, Swierad was on hand for the first open food pantry since starting her new job. She said she let the tenured volunteers take the lead, as she sought to better understand their operation.

One of those volunteers was lifelong Genoa resident Linda Bugna. She’s volunteered with Rooted for Good for the past five years because she thinks the organization’s mission to empower people to access healthy, sustainably grown food and address the root causes of hunger “is a really good cause.”

“Everyone is welcome, and you certainly do not have to feel bad about asking for help,” Bugna said. “We’re always here.”

Although organization staff said the funding loss could be detrimental to Rooted for Good’s ability to supply fresh, locally sourced food to those in need, it’s not the only thing constricting the nonprofit’s ability to serve the community.

Edwards said she was informed March 21 that Rooted for Good also will be affected by cuts to commodities provided by the Emergency Food Assistance Program.

The federal program helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost, according to the USDA.

“It is going to be cut – if you look at the weight, it would be about 40%, is what we’re being told," Edwards said. “If you look at actual items that we would be receiving, it’ll be anywhere from 30% to 50%. So, if we were getting 20 items before, it could go down to as low as 10.”

Although only a volunteer, Bugna said she understands the loss of $750,000 in food assistance funds means the number of products Rooted for Good can hand out in DeKalb and Kane counties likely will diminish, too.

“I think it’s very sad,” Bugna said. “I hope we get more donations from people. That way, we can get more food to hand out to people. It is going to hurt us.”