top of page

About JDLF

Jo Daviess Local Foods started as an online farmers' market in 2018 with just seven producers. Since then, we've grown to include nearly forty producers, depending on the time of year. We deliver throughout Jo Daviess County to nine different pickup locations. We also have two pickup locations in Carroll County and three pickup locations in Stephenson County.

​

In 2021, we started our Farm to Food Pantry program. The Community Foundation of Jo Daviess County was our fiscal agent and managed our JDLF Gives fund so we could accept donations and grants. This money allowed us to pay local farmers for their excess food, which we then delivered to food pantries in Jo Daviess County. In 2024, we became a lead agency for the IL-EATS program. This funding allowed us to buy more local food and expand our food pantry deliveries into Carroll and Stephenson Counties.

​

Also in 2024, we received an Illinois Local Food Infrastructure Grant to start work on a food hub. We eventually found property we could buy at 2757 W. Headquarters Road outside of Elizabeth. Excavating and construction began in the fall. We hope to start using the building in Spring of 2025. The front half of the building will be an indoor year-round farmers' market, and the back half of the building will be warehouse space for aggregating and storing food. There will also be a small kitchen so we can make prepared foods for the marketplace.

​

In October of 2024, we formed our own nonprofit organization, JDLF Collective. This nonprofit will help us keep growing, serve more people, and provide more education. Board members include Steve Barg (President), Emily Nicolin (Vice-President), Jayne Hartley (Secretary), Eric Dregne (Treasurer), and Liz Stocks.

​

Erin Keyser is the founder of JDLF and the Executive Director of JDLF Collective. She loves promoting local food, helping producers make a living, and connecting with all the locavore customers. Use the contact info at the bottom of the website if you have questions for Erin!

Producer hayride_edited.jpg

Frequently Asked Questions


1. How do I order on the JDLF shopping page?   
 

Simply create a free account with a username and password. There is no membership or subscription fee. We do have a $2 pickup fee for orders, or you can choose a $10 home delivery fee. Shop anytime between Friday at noon and Monday at noon, and your food will come on Tuesday! When you place an order, you should receive a confirmation email with the time and address of the pickup location you have chosen.

 

 

2. I added items to my cart, waited a day or two before placing the order, and then some of the items disappeared from my cart. What happened? 
 

Unfortunately, placing items in your cart does NOT reserve them. The items are only deducted from the website's inventory when you confirm the order. To make sure you get the items you want before they sell out, confirm your order right away! You can always come back and add items, delete items, or even cancel your order up until Monday at noon. Credit/debit cards are not charged until Tuesday night, when we're sure you received everything you ordered. 
 

3. I'm having trouble finding items on the shopping page, and I don't want to scroll through all the items. 
 

On the shopping page, you can search by producer, by category, or by key words. This should prevent lots of scrolling.  
 

4. Do I return the t-shirt bag my order came in? And what about these jars?  
 

Yes, please return your t-shirt bag. We wash them each week and reuse them so we can limit our packaging waste. If you ordered something that came in a glass jar or bottle, you can return the empty jar to the delivery person to receive a credit ($0.50 per jar, or $1 for a spray bottle or soap dispenser). Just make sure your name is somewhere on or inside the jar/bottle so we can credit the right person. If your order came in a box, feel free to return the box, and we will happily reuse it. Unfortunately, we are not able to reuse egg cartons, paper bags, plastic bags, or plastic containers.  
 

5. How does home delivery work? 
 

We offer home delivery to most of Jo Daviess County, but please check with Erin first to make sure we have a delivery person in your area. If you aren't home at the time of delivery, you will probably want to put a cooler outside your house so items are protected from the elements

​

6. How can I use my SNAP/Link card on the website? 

​

The website cannot directly accept SNAP cards, but Erin can manually process them. Please email her your SNAP card number, plus the pin number. The website won't let you confirm the order unless you have a debit/credit card on file (which you would need if you have any non-SNAP items). If you don't want to add a debit/credit card to the website, Erin can confirm the order for you, but you will need to email her with that request. Each week you want to place a SNAP order, just send Erin a quick email to remind her that you have a SNAP order, and she will make sure to process it correctly. Cards are processed Tuesday night, once we know you received everything you ordered. 

​

7. What is the Link Match program? 

​

If you have a SNAP card, you are eligible to participate in the Link Match program. For every $1 spent with your SNAP card, you earn $1 worth of fresh fruit/veggies for FREE. For example, if you buy $15 worth of meat, eggs, dairy, bread, etc, you would earn $15 worth of free fresh produce. Erin tracks this information each week and will deduct the cost of the produce from your SNAP order automatically, so you don't need to contact her to get the Link Match discount.

​

If you experience technical difficulties at any point, or you have a question that isn't answered here, please don't hesitate to contact Erin. Thank you for your interest in JDLF!

​

Jo Daviess Local Foods

JDLF online market

Order during the buying window:
Friday noon to Monday noon

Delivery is every Tuesday!

Subscribe to our Friday e-newsletter!

Contact

Erin Keyser
Executive Director

815-990-5374
erin@jdlf.org

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
bottom of page