CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- To the west of Chicago, in Maple Park, is a farm that has found it challenging, to say the least, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When COVID-19 precautions started, Kuipers Family Farm had to lay off most of the farm and office workers. They’ve since managed to bring some of them back to deal with planting and frost.
Also, farm owner Kim Kuipers said apple picking doesn’t usually start until August, but "we may acutally push off our opening a little bit this year, push it back to the end of August, so we can try to get some of those rescheduled weddings rescheduled into August."
Kuipers Family Farm wrote on Facebook, "enjoy some of our famous Apple Cider Doughnuts, Chai Hard Apple Cider or Cherry Fruit Wine while you help Fox Valley Wildlife Center care for orphaned and injured wildlife. No need to wait until fall to enjoy some of our farm favorites, plus you can feel good about supporting a local farm AND animals in need. Fox Valley Wildlife Center relies solely on donations to care for orphaned or injured wildlife. During the COVID-19 crisis the organization is experiencing financial strains due to reduced donations along with added challenges in basic animal care due to the inability to accept volunteers into the facility to assist."