5 minute read
Churches
BAPTIST Emmanuel Baptist Church 920 Highway H, Elkhorn (262) 723-4387 www.ebcelkhorn.com
CATHOLIC St. Patrick Parish 107 W. Walworth St., Elkhorn (262) 723-5565 www.stpatrickselkhorn.org
Advertisement
CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ 100 W. Court St., Elkhorn (262) 723-5079
CONGREGATIONAL First Congregational United Church of Christ 76 S. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn (262) 723-3246 www.elkhornucc.org
Our Churches
EPISCOPAL St. John in the Wilderness Church 13 S. Church St., Elkhorn (262) 723-4229 Email: info@stjohnepiscopal.org
EVANGELICAL FREE Briggs Road Evangelical Free Church 4654 Briggs Rd., Elkhorn (262) 728-8925 Email: dottie.briggsrdefc @gmail.com
Southern Lakes Evangelical Free Church N6686 Highway 12, Elkhorn (262) 742-2366 www.slefc.org
LUTHERAN First Evangelical Lutheran Church
415 Devendorf St., Elkhorn (262) 723-4191 www.firstatthecross.com
St. John’s Lutheran Church
104 S. Broad St., Elkhorn (262) 723-2901 www.stjohnselkhorn.com
Sugar Creek Lutheran Church N5690 Cobblestone Rd. Elkhorn (262) 728-2222 www.sugarcreeklutheran.com
NON-DENOMINATIONAL Millard Community Covenant Church N6713 County O, Elkhorn (262) 742-3457 www.millardchurch.com
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lakes 319 N. Broad St., Elkhorn (262) 723-7440 www.uuchurchofthelakes.org
UNITED METHODIST Bethel United Methodist Church W5110 Highway A, Elkhorn (262) 742-3507 Email: bethelumc@elknet.net
First United Methodist Church 111 N. Broad St., Elkhorn (262) 723-2629 www.elkhornfumc.com
WORD OF FAITH Christian Life Church 4521 County F, Delavan (262) 728-1463 www.clcdelavan.org
Friends
on the Square Friends
on the Square
Order Online
SCAN ME
Cafe • Specialty Coffee & Tea • Ice Cream • Gift Shop
UPTOWN @FRIENDS
Private Rental Space!
Upstairs at Friends on the Square. Wedding Reception, Baby Shower, Birthday Parties and more.
16+ Flavors Scoop Ice Cream!
Shakes, malts, sundaes and smoothies.
ODLING PLUMBING and Mechanical
Reasonable, Reliable, Honest RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL
• Sump & Well Pumps • Septic Systems
• Water Heaters & Softeners • All Aspects of Plumbing
41 N. Wisconsin St., Elkhorn • 262.723.2909 • FriendsontheSquare.com Find us on Facebook: FriendsOnTheSquare & UptownAtFriends
First crop of the year
County Food Pantry harvests fresh greens – inside
The Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank purchased six indoor, vertical hydroponic growing systems from Fork Farms this past year. The first healthy crop of lettuce was harvested in March 2021.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Elkhorn Our Town
While southern Wisconsin was getting buried in spring snow, volunteers at the Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank were harvesting their first crop of fresh greens in spite of the weather. Pantry volunteers were preparing fresh salads for patrons thanks to their new Flex Farm – indoor, vertical hydroponic growing systems.
The food bank purchased six systems from Fork Farms, and in March harvested their first healthy crop of lettuce. Fresh greens were displayed in the lobby’s fresh produce market – one of the most popular stops for patrons.
“Our focus on produce has a lot to do with health,” said Susan Hughes, volunteer managing director of the organization. “There are very few choices for the working poor when you go to the grocery store, so we’ve committed to changing that.”
In the last year, Hughes said they realized a 40% increase in patrons, many of whom were people who never before needed help. During the pandemic regional retailers donated produce, but the shelf life was short. Local businesses stepped in to fund additional produce purchase, but rising prices threatened the pantry’s ability to provide fresh produce.
“The Lake Geneva area is famous for resorts, but who takes care of the rooms, restaurants, and bars? We’re typical of a resort town with a lot of lower paid workers,” Hughes said. The Walworth County Food and Diaper Bank serves 2,600 families, provides food for eight regional food pantries and weekend backpack programs for area school districts. To meet need and the budget, volunteers started researching indoor gardening and that’s when they found Fork Farms, a Green Bay-based agriculture technology company that allows people and communities to participate in the fresh, local food movement. They learned more about the technology the firm created that harvests a crop every 28 days and requires very little labor and expense to operate. The Flex Farm is a self-contained, vertical hydroponic growing system. The portable system only requires a standard electrical outlet and less than 10 square feet of space. Instead of sunlight, plants soak
“up the light from We have taken a compact LED lighting system. our commitment of Just one Flex providing fresh, healthy Farm can yield a harvest every 28 food to our community days. For the to a new level.” – Maryann Zimmerman, Walworth County Food families in Walworth County, this program can be life changing.
Pantry and Diaper Bank “We have
taken our commitment of providing fresh, healthy food to our community to a new level,” said Maryann Zimmerman, general manager of the Food Pantry and Diaper Bank.
“With the pandemic, we have had to move to a system where our patrons did not get a lot of choice, having the fresh lettuce and produce weekly are steps toward normalcy for our volunteers and the ability to choose for our patrons,” she added.
Although the pantry has an outdoor garden in summer, it will continue to grow greens in the Flex Farms because yields are higher and the crop does not need herbicides or pesticides, according to Zimmerman.
Plans are also in the works to partner with local businesses, schools, and 4-H clubs so the fresh local food movement becomes a community project.
Above all, Hughes said, food insecurity can happen to anyone and the food bank exists as a safety net for a large community.
“We want to provide food that will help people on their life journey, and perhaps change that journey. If Flex Farms are the way to do it, so be it. Fresh food should not be dependent on someone’s economic condition,” she said.
The Walworth County Food Pantry and Diaper Bank is at 205 Commerce Court, Elkhorn, and is open to all residents of Walworth County.
For more information, visit walworthcountyfoodpantry.org.
Falling into fun
Tibbets Elementary School students were treated to some seasonal fun in the fall at the Tibbets PTA Pumpkin Patch. Clockwise from the top: Carter Couch (from left), Osiris Flynn and Vayda Hayes run through a maze; Dan Lauderdale and Paul Degner take a break from driving the hay wagon tractors; Paislee Heise balances pumpkins she chose; kindergartners go on a ride; Henry Nelson (from left), Isaiah Patterson and Hunter Mollet get an apple cider and donut treat.
