SUN CITY – The Sunflower Garden Club this year has chosen the Grafton Food Pantry and NICA (Northern Illinois Center for Autism) for their annual donations. The Grafton Food Pantry was incorporated in 2006 and is run by friends with a passion to help out their community. Their mission is to provide food items and household products to people in need of assistance and seek to improve lives through education on nutrition and smart shopping. Their new Huntley location is on Smith Drive, and they serve about 500 residents from the areas of Huntley, Lakewood, and portions of Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, and Algonquin.
Former Sunflower Garden Club president Penny Ronski tends her home garden. (Photo by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)
NICA is located in McHenry County and serves hundreds of families in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin including: Kane, Lake, DuPage, Winnebago, and Cook counties. People of all ages with autism spectrum and related disorders and functioning levels of ability are able to receive assistance from NICA, including but not limited to the following diagnosis: PDD/NOS, PDD/Autism, Autism, HFA, Aspergers, and other related disorders. Some of the services provided by NICA are: speaker presentations; support groups and mentoring for the parents; social groups geared toward the entire family, including sibling support; vocational training at the center.
The Sunflower Garden Club is able to give back to their community through activities throughout the year. In the spring, they will have a plant sale and work with Hubbs Greenhouse in Marengo to obtain flats of flowers and vegetables, and then there are perennials donated from club members. During the summer months, they will have a Summer Garden Walk and furnish maps of those residences who would like to show off their beautiful flower gardens. There is a minimum cost to this event. In June, they have an annual picnic in the Pavilion and elect new officers. There is a Holiday House Christmas Walk where you can view the outside home decorations. Last year, seven homes were featured. Also in December, the club decorates the trees and tables in the Lodge.
The Club members meet once a month in the lodge and will sometimes take field trips (in lieu of a meeting) to area arboretums or go on botanical tours. Throughout the year, one can see and hear speakers at the meetings from different nurseries with topics such as “Rain Barrels and Water Conservation,” as well as visits from Master Gardeners who are most helpful in answering your gardening questions.
If you’d like to become a part of the Club, contact President Linda Nisi (N. 27) at 847-669-6403.
