Barker Farm Outreach Inc

05/22/2026

It’s coming up soon, register now!

Register here: go.illinois.edu/strongerYOU

Kathy Barker is our featured breakout speaker for environmental wellness at the 2026 Wellness Experience.

Don't miss out on the chance to experience this breakout session.

At the Wellness Experience, participants will have a chance to explore mental and emotional wellness tools, physical and stress management strategies, and build connections that last beyond the event.

This is about building a healthier, safer community together. Free and open to high school age and up.

05/09/2026

A few months ago, Stefanie Socha-Morris from Stronger You Bureau County asked if I would be interested in speaking in a breakout session on environmental wellness at their Wellness Experience event, given my work at Barker Farm Outreach Inc.

Ummm… nooo. Nope. No thanks. I’m good. I’m not a speaker. I’m not a leader. My plate is too full (true). I don’t have time (also true… but maybe not entirely true, because we make time for the things that matter, right?).

Then the day after her ask, I found myself walking out to the meditation platform I built in the middle of my timber a few years ago. It’s one of my favorite places to sit quietly, breathe deeply, pray, think, and reconnect with myself and the world around me.

And suddenly it hit me…

Ohhh, shoot! It is me. Look where you are and what you are doing right now, Kathy!

Environmental wellness is what I believe in, advocate for, live, and breathe every single day.

If someone had asked me what “environmental wellness” meant 15 years ago, I probably would have talked about nature, gardening, or sustainability. Which is all true, and we’ll talk about those things. But the more steps I’ve taken on this earth, the more I’ve realized environmental wellness is also about something much more personal.

It’s about the spaces we live in.
The food we have access to.
The pace we keep.
The environments we create around ourselves and others.

And whether those environments are helping us survive… or helping us truly thrive.

So… OK. Let’s do this. I’m in.

I’m incredibly honored to be part of the Stronger YOU Wellness Experience 2026 as a breakout speaker on Environmental Wellness.

In my session, Growing Wellness from the Ground Up, we’ll explore the connection between land stewardship, local food, stress, health, and the small everyday choices that help create healthier lives and stronger communities. We’ll also spend time reflecting on simple, meaningful ways we can nurture wellness in our own homes, routines, and relationships.

Honestly, this feels less like a presentation and more like a conversation I’m looking forward to having together, and I truly can’t wait.

Join me for my session or one of the many other breakout sessions offered. There will be so many wonderful opportunities to learn practical tools and ideas that support whole-person wellness and help create a Stronger YOU.

Thank you to Stronger YOU Bureau County for inviting Barker Farm Outreach Inc to be part of this beautiful event focused on community, connection, and Wellness.

Register here: go.illinois.edu/strongerYOU

Kathy Barker is our featured breakout speaker for environmental wellness at the 2026 Wellness Experience.

Don't miss out on the chance to experience this breakout session.

At the Wellness Experience, participants will have a chance to explore mental and emotional wellness tools, physical and stress management strategies, and build connections that last beyond the event.

This is about building a healthier, safer community together. Free and open to high school age and up.

05/05/2026

04/18/2026

So many quiet, faithful steps have brought us to this moment. This work has always been about showing up, one step at a time. And yesterday… something incredible happened.

Barker Farm Outreach has been awarded a $100,000 grant through Feeding Illinois as part of the Illinois Farm to Food Bank Program.

I’m still in shock, trying to find the right words… because this isn’t just funding.

This is faith being met.
This is hard work being seen.
This is a door opening wider than we could have opened on our own.

This grant moves us forward in building the greenhouse with a dedicated produce packing space, and proper food storage space… all of which are essential to our work.

It means we can start our own seedlings and significantly reduce the cost of plants each season. It means we can extend our growing season and successfully succession-plant, allowing us to better care for both the land and the people we serve. It means more fresh food reaching our neighbors… and less of it being lost when timing doesn’t line up.

It means stability.
It means growth.
It means more plates filled with dignity.

We are also so very grateful to Feeding Illinois, River Bend Food Bank, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and all the agencies, partners, and, especially, the Farm to Food Bank Capacity Grant advisory committee members, whose time, effort, and care made this possible. Thank you for seeing the value of this work and investing in communities and nonprofits like ours.

But what I keep coming back to is this…

None of this was done alone.

Every volunteer who has shown up.
Every donor who has believed in us.
Every person who has shared our story.
Every pantry partner who trusts us.

You are part of this moment.

From the bottom of my heart… thank you for walking this road with us. I am so very grateful.

04/08/2026

Today, we received a Community Impact Grant from the Bureau County Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial, and my heart is just so full.

This kind of support means more than words can fully express. It’s not just funding… It’s a belief in what we’re building here. It’s a reminder that this mission matters, and that our community stands beside us in the work of caring for our neighbors.

This grant brings us one step closer to building the greenhouse that will allow us to grow more, stretch our seasons, and provide even more fresh, healthy food to families who need it most.

To the Bureau County Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial… thank you for seeing the heart behind this work and choosing to be a part of it. We are so incredibly grateful.

Because of you, more families will be fed.
And that is something truly beautiful. ♥️

04/08/2026

We added a few more hives to the apiary!!! 🐝🍯🥳 Now, we just need to wait for the newest farmhands to arrive! They are tiny, slightly dramatic, but excellent workers. Coming soon!

12/02/2025

Could you please do two things for us? Make a donation to Barker Farm Outreach so we can continue bringing fresh produce into the homes of those facing nutritional insecurity. And, please share this post to help spread the word. Thank you!

❤️ https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4474825

10/06/2025

Can 23 people please help Barker Farm by making a $5 donation each to support our beekeeping efforts? Thank you SO much!!! 🐝💚 paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/4474825

09/29/2025

Apple picking time! 🥰

09/23/2025

This past August, I had the honor of joining Nora McInerny on her podcast Thanks For Asking. The episode, titled "Giving Away the Farm," shares the story of Barker Farm, which was both humbling and hopeful.

Since the episode aired, we’ve been surprised and deeply moved by the generosity that has poured in from people across the country and even around the world. It’s been a beautiful reminder that kindness knows no boundaries and that our little farm’s mission to fight food insecurity resonates far beyond Illinois.

September is Hunger Awareness Month, and it’s also our fundraising month at Barker Farm. If this conversation touches your heart, would you consider making a gift to support our work? Every donation, big or small, helps us provide fresh, healthy food for families who need it most.

Thank you for walking alongside us in this mission. Together, we are growing food so all may eat.

Please share to spread our mission to others who may want to support our cause. Thank you!

🎧 Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5UTjOFnLWvTKPcLhbPBgk0?si=6ee6e1a1cd134afc

💚 Donate here: https://www.paypal.com/US/fundraiser/charity/4474825