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OLI Gardens' Suburban Chicago Event Promotes Home Food Growing

  • Writer: Bob Benenson
    Bob Benenson
  • 2 days ago
  • 2 min read

Partnering with Home Depot Stores for April 11 Patriotic Garden Day



Food shortages and rationing during World War II prompted President Franklin D. Roosevelt to promote the planting of "victory gardens," home food-growing plots that enabled millions of Americans to feed themselves and their communities.


Most people abandoned food gardening after the war as the shortages disappeared and the rising conventional food system produced the supermarket culture, making products widely available without the hard work.


But today, inflated food costs, an increasing consumer awareness of the health benefits of adding more produce to diets, and persistent food insecurity faced by millions of Americans who lack convenient access to healthy food is sparking a revival in home growing — and the rise of organizations advocating a revival of the victory garden concept.


One of these is OLI Gardens, which has created food gardens in locations around suburban Chicago — labeled "Patriotic Gardens" in tribute to members of the armed forces and first responders who have lost their lives in service to country and community — and encourages others to grow their own food.


OLI Gardens' next big event, OLI Patriotic Garden Day, will be held on Saturday, April 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visitors to 10 Home Depot stores will learn how to make and plant a raised garden bed to enable them to grow their own food.


The participating stores are:


Bolingbrook: 105 N. Weber Rd.

Elgin: 955 N. Randall Rd.

Geneva: 2111 S. Randall Rd.

Joliet: 3001 Plainfield Rd.

Oswego: 3080 Walter Payton Memorial Highway

Peru: 4242 Venture Dr.

Shorewood: 621 Brook Forest Ave.

South Elgin: 440 S. Randall Rd.

West Aurora: 1250 N. Orchard Rd.

Yorkville: 735 Edward Lane


OLI explains its mission in its event flyer:


America is facing a worsening food insecurity crisis:


  • Food banks nationwide are underfunded and overburdened.

  • Inflation and supply issues are driving more families into hunger.

  • Veterans, seniors, and children are among the most affected.


In the 1940s, Victory Gardens provided nearly 40 % of the nation's fresh produce, empowering more than 20 million Americans to grow food at home. Today we need a modern movement with the same spirit of unity, patriotism and action. The Patriotic Garden Event will reinvigorate that legacy for the 21st century!


Starting a Patriotic Garden connects you to something bigger than yourself — a community of growers making a real difference in Northern Illinois. Your garden doesn't have to be perfect or enormous to help. Start small, learn as you go, and watch as both your garden as its impact grow.


Remember: every zucchini, every tomato, every bunch of kale you donate brings fresh nutrition to someone who might otherwise go without. That's something to be proud of.


Local Food Forum will be following with a more in-depth article based on a visit Sunday (March 29) to OLI Gardens' plot in Joliet.





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