URBANA, Ill. — At the tail end of the Great Depression, few farm girls could afford to go to college. So in 1934 the 4-H House, a cooperative, cost-saving living arrangement, began with 16 4-H leaders at the University of Illinois.

At that time residents paid $6 for food and $6 for utilities each month. Some brought homegrown food. “One of the girls brought canned corn and spinach as her total food contribution. I bet you the girls got real tired of spinach; I’m glad I wasn’t there then,” quipped Judy Taylor, fundraising chair for the 4-H House alumni board.

Whether it’s thanks to the healthy vegetables or something else, 80 years later the 4-H House is still going strong, with 51 girls living in a brick house built in 1960. But after more than 1,000 girls having lived at 805 W. Ohio Street in Urbana, the house is in need of some updates – and air conditioning.

To raise awareness and funds, a cookbook featuring meals cooked at the house has been compiled in Nurture the Future @ 805. Hardcover and spiral-bound, the cookbook contains 480 pages of favorite 4-H House recipes spanning the decades. At a cost of $30, Nurture the Future @ 805 contains recipes for appetizers, dessert, children’s dishes, the microwave, as well as dishes multiplied for large dinner parties.

“For me, the house is a tradition. My mom, aunts, sisters and cousins have all lived here, and I visited on Lil’ Sis weekends. Now, it’s finally my turn to live here, and everybody can visit me,” said Krista Temple, a freshman ag communications major.

The house at U of I is one of only a few 4-H cooperative houses on college campuses in the United States, Taylor said. She lived there in the mid-1970s.

“When I lived at the house, most girls were home ec majors. Now, a lot of them are ag majors. At the senior dinner last Sunday, I met an English major who is going to law school,” she said.

While incoming residents no longer have to be former 4-H leaders, they have to have leadership experience in a youth organization, Taylor said. That leadership comes in handy, as the residents are responsible for all the cooking, cleaning and minor maintenance at the house. In addition, the house has a manager, president and judicial board to manage disputes.

According to Temple, the houseful of 51 women is like a family. “The girls take care of you. They help you buy the right books, find classes, help with homework. It’s like having older sisters on campus ... We have inside jokes and fun in the house. Out on the campus, they look out for you,” Temple said.

She said most of the residents come from small, rural towns or farms.

“With 44,000 students at U of I, it can be overwhelming at first. Some of my classes are bigger than my entire high school. With about 90 percent of us being ag majors, we have some classes together,” Temple said.

Cooking for that many people requires coordination and teamwork – and large pans, she said. Cooking crews and cleaning crews of three work on each meal.

“I love our home-cooked meals at 4-H House. It’s great to come home from class to some good food,” said Emily Bloemer, a freshman resident.

Taylor said the kitchen was remodeled last winter, and future improvements involve the boiler, the electric, bathrooms and adding air conditioning. Money raised from the cookbook and other fundraisers will go to these items.

The house divides the residents’ activities by giving them a central study room with desks and dressers and an open-air dorm for sleeping that stays cool and dark all the time. “I’m one of those that stays up and studies till 3 a.m., but my roommates like to go to bed at 10 p.m. This way I can stay up without feeling bad that I’m keeping them awake,” Temple said.

Taylor said her time on campus living at the 4-H House continues to bring her happiness. “It’s a wonderful place. When you meet a house sister decades after, and you find that you both cleaned the oven at midnight on Saturday, you still have a bond. Now our network is doing great things in our own communities,” she said.

Nurture the Future @ 805 can be purchased for $30 per book, which includes shipping. For details on how to order, visit www.4hhouse.com or send an email to Taylor at judymtaylor1@gmail.com or Linda Muehling at glmuehling@hotmail.com