Today we’d like to introduce you to Nancy DiMarco.
Hi Nancy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I became involved with Shiloh Field Community Garden through the original creator, Gene Gumfory, who owned the Sonics in Denton. He was a member of Denton Bible Church and had gone to their pastor, Tommy Nelson, and asked if he could develop land that was gifted to the church, as a community garden. That was in 2009. The garden grew and today is regarded as the largest community garden in the US. We provide food to people who do not have access to healthy food and support ~20 different food banks and kitchens in Denton County, including Our Daily Bread, Friends of the Family, Denton Community Food Center, to name a few. I was a professor of nutrition and directed the Institute for Women’s Health at Texas Woman’s University and was looking for a project my honors students could have during the semester. I met with Mr. Gumfory and he suggested they work at Shiloh during the semester – they learned how to plow, plant, maintain, fertilize, harvest, weed – everything it takes to have a garden. At the end of the semester, they harvested their produce and were required to provide recipes and create a menu, and cook a meal with the produce they grew. We also created cookbooks in both English and Spanish. I did that for about 8 years, while also serving as the Volunteer Coordinator for Shiloh and board member of Friends of Shiloh Garden (FOSG), until I retired in 2019. In 2019, Shiloh became a 501c3, non profit organization. I was looking for what came next and decided that becoming a Master Gardener had always been on my bucket list so in 2020, during COVID and dealing with breast cancer, surgery, and radiation, I also completed the Master Gardener course and graduated in 2021. I then became the project manager in 2021 for the Master Gardeners at Shiloh, while continuing my roles of Volunteer Coordinator and board member of FOSG to the present day. In 2024, I started a Junior Master Gardener program for children in grades 3 to 5, and have 12 committed young boys and girls who are completing a 44 week program to become certified, just like their adult cohort.
Shiloh Garden contributed over 47,000 pounds of produce last year, over 11,000 volunteer hours, and over 4000 dozen eggs to our community. We were one of the five gardens showcased by the Denton County Master Gardeners’ Association for the 2025 Garden Tour, and had over 300 people tour last May. We also hosted a Pumpkin Patch as part of Denton’s 31 Days of Halloween and also had nearly 400 people turn out. Shiloh is a treasure for the city of Denton and beyond.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not in the least – we have faced loss of our land (14.5 acres) owned by Denton Bible Church, lack of water and electricity, lack of volunteers, lack of funding, lack of equipment, lack of resources like tools and seeds. However, we have an amazing board of directors, all committed to the same mission and purpose, who work ungrudgingly and without any compensation (this is a completely volunteer run organization), and we have persevered and struggled to stay on the positive side of the ledger, and now, 17 years later, we are financially in a much more comfortable position. We have regularly been receiving grants and were the recipients of this year’s Giving Machine, and also Denton’s First United Methodist Church’s Alternative Gift Fair ($14,000). As our name is better known, we are attracting better community support and therefore, contributions that help our cause.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am retired now, but for nearly 40 years, I was a professor of nutrition and food sciences at Texas Woman’s University, directed the Institute for Women’s Health, and also directed the Pioneer Performance Clinic, which I developed. I helped to create the Exercise and Sports Nutrition master’s program which was the 2nd program of its kind in the nation, developed the Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics credential for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and helped to develop the certification examination administered by the Academy to credential new sports dietitians. There were many unqualified credentials being promoted on the internet, much disinformation, and downright dangerous credentials promoted, so we felt as dietitians, we had to do something to fight against the fraud and abuse of information that was circulating on the web. I am immensely proud of the work we did and it continues to reverberate in sports – for example all major league professional baseball teams have sports dietitians who help their players have optimal nutrition, and hopefully that translates into production as an athlete. Even our military now has credentialed sports dietitians, called Tactical Dietitians or Performance Dietitians, who specialize in optimizing physical and mental performance of our soldiers. They are often classified as 65C in the Army.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The best advice I could give someone just starting out is to shadow a professional doing the job you think you want to have. Often that experience can either solidify or change what you thought you knew about a profession. In the world of non profits, be careful not to overcommit to too many things – it is very easy to say yes to lots of good things, but then underperform because you did. Learn to say yes to things you know you can complete.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shilohfield.com
- Facebook: Friends of Shiloh Garden – Shiloh Field
- Other: https://volunteer.bloomerang.co:443/JE/5cnfmiodgre20c
