ICGA builds connections with Latino community

IL Corn Growers Association (ICGA) leaders connected with the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus last week and discussed corn’s impact on the Latino community.

State elected officials joined IL Corn for a cooking demonstration at Carniceria Aguascalientes, a Hispanic restaurant and grocery store in the Chicagoland area. IL Corn’s event precedes this week’s meetings between United States and Mexican agricultural trade representatives regarding Mexico’s potential ban on genetically modified corn.

“We opened up a dialogue and put faces to agriculture,” said IL Corn Growers Association Director Jason Bunting. “Hopefully as we learn more about the issues, they are facing in their districts they are going to learn more about the production side of agriculture and how we can provide a safe and abundant food supply to them.”

In addition to the cooking demonstration, state Senator Celina Villanueva shared historical information on 26th Street in Little Village. Senator Villanueva conveyed the street’s relevance to the Hispanic community, and its nickname “Mexico of the Midwest”.

State legislatures also joined IL Corn in a donation to Chicago’s Love Fridge. Love Fridge is an organization that works to fight food insecurity by distributing fresh food in refrigerators around the city. The donation partnered with Illinois Farm Families and Pork Power to help feed those in need.

“We think it’s really important that farmers are giving back to our consumers and making sure that we’re connecting with the people we’re feeding,” says Ellen Rahn, ICGA Director and farmer from Mount Carroll. “We want to be able to help others that can't afford food and are struggling to do the best that they can.”

Thank you to State Senator Omar Aquino, State Senator Cristina Castro, State Representative Dagmara Avelar, State Representative Jaime Andrade, and Staff of State Representative Edgar Gonzalez Jr. for connecting with IL Corn and participating in this event.