While it may be too late to purchase a handcrafted cutting board made in Forest Park by your own neighbors, you can support the next project by the Forest Park Makers Collective – a group of three self-employed friends who are donating their time and sales to charity.
Forest Parkers Geoff Binns-Calvey, KC Mutchler and Alec Bloyd-Peshkin recently formed the Forest Park Makers Collective. Their first project was constructing 54 cutting boards, selling them locally and donating $6,205 to the Chicago Abortion Fund.
“We love to make stuff together and spend time together. And we thought, ‘Why not put our time to good use to make some cool stuff?’” said Mutchler, who has a full-time handywoman business called She Can Fix That. She added that Binns-Calvey and Bloyd-Peshkin have “always been so gracious about sharing their ideas, sharing their tools and sharing their [work]shops.”
“We have these resources, so we thought, ‘Can we harness that in an interesting, creative way that brings us some joy but also does some good?” said Bloyd-Peshkin, who has an art background and experience building and installing cabinets.
And the group shares an interest in progressive issues, so they started discussing how they can contribute to causes they care about.
“The point isn’t buying this thing; it’s making the donation. You get this thing with the donation, but it’s about the donation,” Bloyd-Peshkin said, adding that many of those who purchased cutting boards gave an additional monetary contribution.
The Forest Park Makers Collective got the wood for the cutting boards from Bloyd-Peshkin’s neighbor’s daughter. She was looking to open a brick-and-mortar location for her catering business and ordered multiple tabletops to install before deciding not to launch a physical storefront. So, she donated the wood to Bloyd-Peshkin, who offered it up for a team project.
The Makers Collective started by cutting the tabletops into smaller pieces before removing the existing epoxy finish and running them through a machine to flatten the wood. Then they cut the boards to different sizes, sanded them, and finished with a food-safe oil/wax and the addition of non-slip feet to the board’s bottom.
“We had some good conversations in between, but there was a lot of noise and dust and earbuds,” said Binns-Calvey, who does special effects freelancing, mostly for television commercials.
When the cutting boards were nearly finished, Mutchler, who does much of the threesome’s administrative work, designed a logo, then the group branded each cutting board with it.
Making for a cause
Bloyd-Peshkin said he was inspired to choose the Chicago Abortion Fund as the Makers Collective’s first donation recipient because he once saw the group speak at an event where they said they need money more than volunteers.
According to the Chicago Abortion Fund, the average cost of a first-trimester abortion is over $500.
“Illinois is an island of reproductive freedom surrounded by states where it’s not, so it seemed like a no-brainer,” Geoff Binns-Calvey said of choosing the Chicago Abortion Fund.
“Roe v. Wade was turned over, and it feels like a lot of our rights are slowly being stripped away,” Mutchler added. “I wanted to contribute to something to help support other women who don’t have the resources, should they have to make literally the hardest choice of probably their entire lives.”
The Forest Park Makers Collective has a few cutting boards left. They plan to save some products from each project to sell at popup events in the future. They said they hope to complete two or three projects a year, raising a minimum of $5,000 per project. The group says they have a few ideas up their sleeve, many of which are beautiful pieces that are also functional. But such projects will likely also depend on available materials, which the group is hoping to continue sourcing free-of-cost.
As for organizations they would donate to in the future, Mutchler said she’d love to choose one that supports trans kids and gender-affirming care.
“I think that over the coming years, we’ll be able to impact a lot of organizations with our efforts and the money that we donate,” Mutchler said.
While the Forest Park Makers Collective isn’t looking for more members at this time, they said people should feel inspired to contribute to a cause in their own way.
“If we can find ways to help other community members contribute in their own unique way, that’s even better. We are activating our community and the people around us to help them fight for what they think is important,” Mutchler said. She added that, if you’re feeling despondent about the state of the world, “Take a look around in your community and do the next needed thing,” like dropping off food at the community fridge or donating supplies to the library for people who are unhoused.
“I know it’s cheesy, but your actions do have a ripple effect,” Mutchler added, “and I think that we’re seeing that to an extent here.”
“Times are getting a little crazy, and we have to look out for each other. That’s kind of the basis of all of this,” Binns-Calvey said.