Corn for Compassion Sale

For over 40 years now the Macomb community has supported the “Corn for Compassion” project by purchasing locally grown sweet corn at Wesley United Methodist Church.  

Each year a group of people from Wesley United Methodist Church plant, harvest, and sell sweet corn by the truck-full!  The money raised from their efforts is then used by the Wesley Church Missions Team to help with different missions projects in Macomb, the state of Illinois, and around the world. In recent years at least half of the money raised has been donated to the Rocourt Foundation in Haiti. This fund has helped Haitian citizens for many years with the basic needs of life. The other half of the Corn for Compassion monies raised stays in Macomb for local projects which have included financially supporting deserving Haitian students attending Western Illinois University, as well as sponsoring two complete scholarships for Macomb area youth to attend summer camp. The project raises somewhere around $3,000 each year from the two and a half acres of corn planted on the church farm.

Originally the project was started by Alexander “Zan” Harris, in 1974, who furnished the ground for the first crop. Church work groups had traveled to Haiti and witnessed the living conditions of the Haitians and decided to help raise funds. Previous projects that have been completed in Haiti have included the digging of a well, installing a pump, purchasing a printing press, and establishing scholars

hip funds for Haitian students to attend Western Illinois University.

One of the last known pictures of Zan Harris (shown with Field Manager Ken Harp and former Wesley UMC Sr. Pastor Rev. Russ Smith) at the corn field is shown.

On September 8, 2019 we dedicated the Sweet Corn for Compassion Memorial in the Sadler Memorial Garden.  Click here for more information and pictures.

Please help to support this compassionate effort by purchasing great-tasting sweet corn at

Wesley United Methodist Church. 

Corn can be purchased at the West door of the church at 1212 West Calhoun Street in Macomb in the morning and Wesley Village in the afternoon. For more information check out our website www.macombwesleyumc.com, or call the church office at 833-2153.

Information for Pickers, Baggers, & Workers

We need lots of helpers.  Call Tammy in the church office to sign up, or just show up. Thanks.

Pickers: Pickers should be at the field by 6:45 a.m. Please bring a 5 gallon bucket if you have one, but not required. Pickers should dress for the possibility of muddy ground and wet corn plants. Picking sessions typically last up to two hours each day. Recommended that you wear Gloves

Baggers: Baggers should arrive next to the garage of the garage at 7:30. Meet north of the church. We are having the trucks go up the old driveway (north of the church) and unloading up there in the shade so we do not have to move the corn after it is bagged. The first truck is usually in before 8, depending upon how many pickers show up. We use plastic grocery bags for the corn and they need to be double bagged. This is done before and after the trucks are unloaded. Bagging is pretty self explanatory. The baggers often work in pairs, where one holds the bag and one drops the corn in.It should be emphasized that the bagging is easy and only lasts a couple of hours each day. Recommended that you wear Gloves