Solidarity Gardens C-U is a collaborative project to reduce food insecurity in Champaign-Urbana by turning private and public land into gardens--one square foot at a time.

You can get involved by volunteering in one of our gardens or utilizing the supplies and resources we’ve collected to create or upgrade your own garden. 

Central Illinois has some of the most productive growing soil in the United States, but a very high food insecurity rate. Many residents don’t know where their next meal is coming from or depend on food subsidies that only provide them with $6.40 a day to feed themselves. And unemployment, illness, and loss of housing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis has only made these factors worse.

Solidarity Gardens CU aims to address these issues by turning the fertile soil languishing in backyards, along roads, and in out-of-the-way corners of parks into fruitful vegetable gardens. We leverage the giving spirit of countless Champaign-Urbana residents who donate their time and expertise to plant, tend, and harvest these gardens, and all the food that we produce is directed to folks in need through our partnerships with local food banks, advocacy groups, and neighborhoods.

We also provide supplies and resources to support Champaign-Urbana residents who want to grow their own gardens. To amplify the existing efforts of community members to provide food for themselves and their neighbors, we distribute seeds, tools, information, and other supplies as needed to local gardeners and aspiring gardeners. We also encourage those who make use of our resources to give back some of the food they produce to their neighbors in need as well. We call this ethic #NeighborsFeedingNeighbors.

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