Patty Ruback grew up gardening and now focuses on building healthy soils through composting and rotational planting. She has founded organizations to connect people with local sustainable produce. Currently, she is raising her daughter and volunteering at DeKalb County Community Gardens where she enjoys seeing the variety of foods produced and human connection. She finds it rewarding that people from all economic situations come to the local farmer's markets. For future volunteers, she recommends being the change you want to see in the world and that volunteering opens opportunities and builds relationships.

1. VolunteerSpotlight
GladysSanchez
Patty Ruback grew up in Chicago, but spent lots of summers in Wisconsin surrounded
family members that had large gardens. In her youth days, Patty had some form of gardens at
every house she resided in. Now, she focuses on building healthy soils through composting and
rotational planting. Also, she is trying to learn to preserve the harvest better through freezing,
canning, drying and fermenting. “Gardening is a “life- learning” project”, says Patty.
Aside from being a dedicated volunteer, Patty has founded the Eat Local DeKalb County
to help connect local people to local sustainable produce. Eat Local DeKalb County has over 550
members. In addition, she co-founded DeKalb County Home Educators to connect
homeschooling families in the area and they have a membership of over 40 families. Currently,
she is working on a Panamanian snake with two other female, NIU alumni. Patty says “Most
importantly, I am raising my daughter to be an awesome person and citizen, and teaching her
how to follow her dreams”. Her most memorable story as a volunteer is when she worked at the
Thrive Farmer Markets where people want local, organic, and sustainably grown produce to feed
themselves and their families. She felt that it is very rewarding that all people from economic
situations coming to the market for that sole purpose.
DeKalb County Community Gardens is very fortunate to have Patty as a volunteer. Her
favorite aspects about DCCG is the feelings of human connection and seeing how the different
gardens produce variety of foods. Patty says “that people should pick from gardens, enjoy the
produce especially since you have worked hard from keeping it alive”! For future volunteers, she
says to be the change you want to see in the world. Volunteering also opens up so many
opportunities and helps to build lots of relationships.

2. Patty Ruback- Thank you for being an awesome volunteer for DeKalb County Community
Gardens.
Fun Facts
- Loves roller skating and recently founded Chicks in Bowls, DeKalb
- Traveled to Southern Africa 4 times
- Her mantra: “ I do what I want”