1. DCCG Volunteer Spotlight- Michael Payne
We appreciate ourvolunteers,especiallyMichael Payne!He isa full time student,aleaderat
NIU campus,and a dedicatedvolunteerforDeKalbCountyCommunity gardens.Michael’slovefor
gardeningstartedata veryyoungage and trulyflourishedwhenhe gotinvolvedwiththe
CommuniversityGardensduringthe summerof 2014. He findshisworkto be veryrewarding.
“I love givingfoodfromthe garden,andseeingthe volunteersincrediblyinterestedinthe food”
saysMichael.He lovesthe ideathat the work he doesinthe gardenshelpspeoplesaroundhimtoeat.It
isveryrewardingwhenpeoplecome backandtell himhow goodthe foodwas.Michael isa regular
volunteer.He originallydidnothave muchof an ideaexactlywhattodo,but once he got the hangof
gardening,peoplestartedtolookathimfor guidance andleadership.
His favorite partabout DeKalbCountyCommunityGardenisthatthere hasbeensomuch
growthin suchlittle time.“Itisverycool to see membersof the communityhelpasmuchas theycan”,
saysMichael.He realizesthatyoucan come as youare whenyouvolunteerforDCCG.Michael points
out that there isa misconceptionthatpeople have tobe expertgardenersinordertohelpat the
gardens,butit isdefinitelynotthe case.Anyone atanyskill level iswelcome tovolunteer!Itis
wonderful tosee whenthe newvolunteersbecomeregulars.He wantsall currentandfuture volunteers
to knowthat theirworkinthe garden actuallymakesadifference anditallowsformore foodtogo on
people’splatewhoneeditmost. Eventhe workthatdoesnot have to directlydeal withthe produce
such as weeding,tilling,andcompostturningmattersbecause itallows forthe gardenasa whole tobe
more successful.
One of the bestmemorieshe hasevenhadinthe gardenwas whenafamilycame to volunteer.
Theywere soappreciative thattheycouldtake as muchproduce as theywanted.He distinctly
remembersdiggingupa carrot withtheirson,and seeingthe expressiononhisface whenhe saw whata
2. carrot lookslike whenitcomesrightoutof the ground.In the gardens,memoriesare made,laughteris
sharedand people like,Micheal Payne,makesadifference one carrotat a time.
Fun Facts-
Favorite quote-“spreadyourcool”
Superpower- see throughwallsandpracticeshisabilitytobe inmultiplespotsatonce
-full time studentatNIU
-hasmultiple jobsonNIUcampus
By: GladysSanchez
