The Westmont Public Library's Giving Garden has earned the State Master Gardener Teamwork Award for its volunteer-run vegetable garden that donates all its produce to a Westmont food pantry.
The Village of Westmont announced the award on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The statewide honor recognizes Master Gardener projects judged to be collaborative, impactful, innovative and replicable.
The garden sits at the library's entrance at 428 N. Cass Ave. Every vegetable harvested there goes to People's Resource Center, a nonprofit food pantry at 104 Chestnut Ave. in Westmont that serves DuPage County residents free of charge.
Westmont resident and Master Gardener Pat Miller started the project as an experiment, originally called the Westmont Straw Bale Garden. Miller wanted to turn an underused patch of ground at the library entrance into both a food donation site and a hands-on gardening classroom. Fellow Master Gardener Judi Bult later joined her as co-leader.
For the first four years, the team grew vegetables in straw bales alongside one or two traditional beds. The unusual method drew library patrons curious about straw bale growing. In 2025, the garden shifted entirely to raised beds after the library saw rising interest from the community. The name changed, too.
The project pulls together teen volunteers, adult mentors, Master Gardeners, library staff, the Westmont Garden Club and the Westmont Rotary. According to the library's gardens page, Miller, Bult and other University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners tend the grounds Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9 to 10:30 a.m., May through October.
The library grounds also include two composters and a pollinator garden planted with native plants. The site is a designated monarch waystation, providing habitat for migrating butterflies.
Upcoming at Westmont Public Library
- Monday, Oct. 12: Book Page Pumpkin craft for adults, 6–7:30 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 15: Mini Pumpkin Painting for grades K–5, 4–4:45 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: Costume & Craft for ages 0–6 with a caregiver, 10–10:45 a.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 22: Mystery & Horror in the Golden Age of Radio for adults, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
All events are at 428 N. Cass Ave. Registration is required for most events at westmontlibrary.org/events.
