A Slice of Farm Education Heaven
A visit to Angelic Organics Learning Center for a farm dinner fundraiser
A Slice of Farm Education Heaven in Illinois
Angelic Organics Learning Center is a nonprofit organization located in Caledonia, Illinois (near Rockford), which provides a variety of educational programs for beginning and more advanced sustainable farmers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The Center also provides farm tours, one-off gardening and food prep classes, and a summer farm camp for children.
I have long respected the organization’s work — with which I became acquainted during my tenure at FamilyFarmed — and had a visit on my to-do list. So I was grateful when Leah Lawson (Development Director at Angelic Organics Learning Center and former FamilyFarmed colleague) invited me to attend the Center’s “Welcome to the Farm” fundraising dinner, which took place last Saturday (August 21) evening.
Here is my takeaway from my night in the country.
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“Eating is an agricultural act,” said Wendell Berry, the famed farmer-advocate, environmentalist and writer. It was a quote that Jackie de Batista — Angelic Organic Learning Center’s Executive Director — emphasized during her talk kicking off the “Welcome to the Farm” fundraising dinner, held outdoors at the Learning Center on Saturday, August 21.
The quote captures the vision fueling programs provided by Angelic Organics Learning Center. The consummate act of eating is not something separate and apart from agriculture; it is the end of a process that is inextricably linked to the farm. The Learning Center’s activities help local, sustainable producers in our region learn, grow and connect with the eaters who benefit from the nutritious, delicious food they produce.
Jackie expressed her gratitude to the attendees for their financial support, which is critical for Angelic Organics Learning Center to overcome the unprecedented challenges of the past year and a half.
She became executive director in November 2019 with a history as a farm educator (10 years as 4-H Youth Development Educator with University of Illinois Extension in Rockford) and farmer (she and her husband manage her family’s Irish Grove Farms, a sustainable livestock operation in Pecatonica, west of Rockford). But just four months into her tenure, the COVID crisis hit.
The pandemic disrupted the Learning Center’s in-person field programming and requiring a pivot to online for the Stateline Farm Beginnings “Farm Dreams Intensive” program. Jackie expressed the determination of the Center to stay the course and continue its work to build a stronger, thriving local food system.
The attendees were gathered at tables under a tent (which came in handy during a rain shower that punctuated the otherwise beautiful summer evening). They dined on Moules Salad (featuring mussels, potatoes and greens), Jungle Curry (a Thai-inspired vegan dish), and a lemon-blueberry tart. The food was prepared by Rockford’s The Norwegian restaurant, whose owner Emily Hurd Christensen and chef Dom Romano also spoke briefly at the dinner about their dedication to Good Food values. The curry entree was made with food scraps, underscoring the restaurant’s devotion to combating food waste.
New Holland Brewing Co. and Candid Wines donated excellent beverages; the folk music group Trillium provided entertainment; Rockford Art Deli, a print and design company, sponsored the event; and the night wouldn’t have been complete without visits with the Center’s goats and chickens.
[Check out Local Food Forum’s August 22 issue for additional scenic photos of Angelic Organics Learning Center.]
All photos below are copyrighted to Bob Benenson, and may not be used or reproduced without express permission.