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A few years ago, someone in our community thought it was very important to show city children where the food comes from that they eat. Many children didn't have any idea about what a farmer did.
The farmers show the group what takes place on their individual farms. Below is a list of those farms visited and if you click on it, you will get a brief description of what happens on their tour.
O.J. thought it was important to pick farms that had different animals and he also selected an orchard. Everyone O.J. asked graciously accepted their responsibility of hosting the visitors. The farmers have an approximate time of arrival and each farmer is ready when the group arrives. Each farmer provides their own help for the tour of the operation. They explain what they do on their farm and how they do it. Some even let the children hold or touch the animals. The children and adults get a firsthand experience on the farm. This is a new experience for many of the adults, too. O.J. usually asked that first the children come from a Salvation Army preschool program at the South Deering Methodist Church. Then children from other Chicago churches are also invited. One of the requirements that O.J. made was that most of the group had to be the small children. There are now two buses that come. Some of the children return; but because they like to give this experience to as many of the children as they can, most of the children are new to the tour. The number of children varies each year, starting with one bus years ago there are now two buses that make the visit. The number of children in the original group was somewhere around 50. It has grown to 120 children. Dinner is served by the Malta Methodist Church. The helpers are jr. and sr. high school students from Malta High School. The students from Malta school have helped a lot with the Food for Sharing and the Farm Tour. In the fall, they pick apples, corn, and gather squash, etc. and deliver the produce to the needy programs that benefit by it . . . DeKalb County Home, Salvation Army, Hope Haven, Barb City Manor, Oak Crest Retirement Home, etc. The Malta National Honor Society members, the Malta Student Council, and the Quest Program have provided excellent assistance.
Since O.J.'s death, the farm tour has been coordinated by Marshall Hayes of Malta. Marshall agrees that all the farmers that participate do a great job on their tour providing ag education to the children as well as a good firsthand experience that they will always remember. Marshall told us that some children are scared the first time they see the animals. This past year, one little boy saw a horse and was sure that it was a big dog. He wanted to stay on the bus. Marshall said that the whole project is successful because of the wonderful cooperation between so many people and organizations. On the bus ride from Chicago, the buses stop at the McDonald's Oasis for a bathroom break and drinks. The farm tours are then provided. After the tours, lunch is held at the Malta Methodist Church. A great time is had by all at the orchard selecting their free pumpkins. Candy is provided from the Nestle Corp. and potato chips are provided by the Frito Lay Co. |
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According to Phylis Cunningham, 1984 was the beginning of the Food for Sharing Program. It began as the result of a tremendous need by the unemployed in South Chicago after the steel mills there closed down. The appeal was made for help and the DeKalb District of the United Methodist Church responded. The late Orville (O.J.) Cunningham, Malta, IL became involved. In 1986, he spearheaded the move to plant a mission garden in Malta. O.J. saw a need for the inner city children to visit the rural area as they had no idea where there meat, milk, produce, etc. came from. They had never seen a farm, much less a horse, cow, pig, or sheep. Soon after this, the farm tour was held in 1986.
One of the highlights of the trip is that each child takes back pumpkins and apples. No matter how small the child is, you can see them trying to get the largest pumpkin they can find to take back on the bus. This trip is always just before Halloween, usually on Columbus Day when the children don't have school.
The cost of the buses to bring the children and adults out from Chicago is paid for by the Food for Sharing program. They have a budget to pay for the buses and also for the gas for the trucks driven by the owners out from Chicago for food and clothing. This fund also pays for extra food and produce purchased if the trucks aren't full on the big pickup days.