CHICAGO — Olive's Community Garden for the Hungry will kick off its 13th planting season with a party and raffle on Saturday to raise money for its growing veggie harvest operation.
From 3-6 p.m. Saturday, visitors to Rabbit's Bar & Grill, 4945 W. Foster Ave., can buy raffle tickets for a chance to win goodies including certificates to Gale Street Inn, passes for a free massage, or cash prizes up to $300.
The garden was started in 2005 as an Eagle Scout project from the nearby Boy Scout Troop 963 at Ainslie Street and Laramie Avenue. Gardeners have spent the warm months every year cultivating fresh produce to deliver to the Northwest Church of Christ food bank, 4602 N. Kilbourn Ave., on a weekly basis.
But for the first time this year, the garden is reaching beyond fruits and vegetables to bring in a beekeeping hive, according to Andy Brecklin, the garden's co-founder and volunteer manager.
And in an experimental offshoot of the project, growers will plant barley crops along Laramie Avenue and donate the bounty to Lake Effect Brewing, Brecklin said.
"Lake Effect has always been a staunch supporter of ours, and they'll be bringing beer on Saturday," he said. "So hopefully they can use the hops that we grow."
The bees, hops and two new rows of raspberry bushes will join the hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, lettuce, squash, garlic, carrots and hot peppers due to sprout from the garden this year.
The money raised from Saturday's fundraiser will help pay for seeds, a small tool shed and some quality hardware to fill it with, Brecklin said.
"We'd really like to buy some decent gardening tools, because almost everything we have now is from garage sales and hand-me-downs," he said.
