The garden beds at 523 S. Webster St. bear the names of fallen soldiers and first responders. This summer, they're feeding their neighbors.
Naper Settlement's Education Team harvested 11 lbs. of peppers, kale, spinach, herbs, and tomatoes from the Gold Star Victory Gardens on Sunday, Aug. 2, and donated the haul to Loaves & Fishes, the Naperville-based food pantry that serves more than 10,000 people per week across four counties.
It was the third documented harvest of the season. Combined with a 12-lb. pick on Thursday, July 9, and a 26.2-lb. harvest on Monday, July 27, the gardens have sent 49.2 lbs. of fresh produce to Loaves & Fishes since early July, according to posts on Naper Settlement's official X account.
Each raised bed in the Gold Star Victory Gardens is dedicated to a local fallen military member or first responder and their Gold Star family. The beds were created by OLI Gardens, an Illinois 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2017 that describes its work as inspired by World War II Victory Gardens. According to OLI Gardens' website, the organization donates raised garden beds, grows fresh produce for food pantries, and tends what it describes as living memorials to fallen heroes.
Naper Settlement, the 13-acre outdoor history museum in downtown Naperville, hosts the beds as part of its broader living-history and community programming. The museum draws approximately 380,000 visitors per year.
Loaves & Fishes, led by President and CEO Mike Havala, operates its Grocery Market and administrative offices in Naperville and a Food Distribution Hub in Aurora. The organization is currently advancing a $15 million "Nourish Together" campaign to expand that Aurora hub and serve two to three times as many neighbors across the region, according to Positively Naperville.
This week at Naper Settlement
- Saturday, Aug. 8, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. — Hometown Picnic. Lawn games, food, and historic demonstrations across the 13-acre campus. 523 S. Webster St.
- Tuesdays, 3–7 p.m. through Sept. 22 — Naper Settlement Farmers Market. 40-plus vendors, live music, and agricultural classes. Free to browse.
Families interested in visiting the Gold Star Victory Gardens can find them on the Naper Settlement campus at napersettlement.org.
