[Communications] Interview Request

[Lorraine Kells]

Lina,

Your email to the CCGA communications is welcomed and joyfully received.
Hopefully you learned about our all volunteer organization on our website
and on our Facebook page so that we can get directly into the request you
have made for your story regarding the upcoming garden season which is
indeed in full swing.  Our Resources and Distribution team has already made
spring annuals and vegetable seedlings available to community gardeners in
late April. This weekend they will host a plant sale at New Horizons
Community Garden, 403 S Central Park Ave (corner of Van Buren & Central
Park) starting at 10 am.  You are welcome to stop by to catch a glimpse of
one of the many ways we reach out to community gardeners with plant
resources throughout the growing season.

Edible community gardens in Chicago number in the hundreds; many of
our community gardens are in the city's parks, so we work closely with
the Park District. As to whether or not there's been an increased interest
in community gardening as a whole with the cost of food going up, we
haven't pulled any data to confirm that, but not only the cost of food, the
quality of nutrient food grown in clean soil, and accessibility to water
have been our primary concern since our first conference in 2013.  In some
areas of Chicago, the availability and cost of food has always been beyond
the reach of many.  It is an issue that drives our advocacy to ensure the
right to grow food for ourselves and our families.

We invite you to visit any number of our community gardens and to connect
with those gardeners who would be able to share their experiences about
growing in Chicago. They will readily share what they choose to grow and
why they choose to grow.

The Communications team will gladly assist you in going places and meeting
folks as much as we can.   Please provide some times and dates on your
schedule to send out to our working groups and community gardeners

In Kindness,
Communications Team




On Wed, May 7, 2025 at 3:55 PM Lina Gebhardt via Communications <
communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org> wrote:

> Hi there!
>
> My name is Lina Gebhardt, I am a production assistant at NewsNation and
> the Multimedia Editor at The DePaulia.
>
> I am reaching out on behalf of a multimedia story I'd like to put together
> regarding the upcoming garden season and the edible community gardens in
> Chicago, plus whether or not there's been an increased interest in
> community gardening as a whole with the cost of food going up.
>
> That said, I would love to pay a visit to the gardens or connect with
> local gardeners who might be able to share their experiences with urban
> gardening and why they choose to plant their own goods. I would greatly
> appreciate the opportunity to chat or be connected with anyone who might be
> appropriate!
>
> Thank you so much in advance, please let me know if you have any
> questions.
>
> Best,
> Lina Gebhardt
>
> --
> Communications mailing list
> Communications at chicagocommunitygardens.org
>
> http://chicagocommunitygardens.org/mailman/listinfo/communications_chicagocommunitygardens.org
>
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