August 10, 2016
Growing strong O’Fallon resident helps feed low-income elderly from her flourishing backyard garden
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By Brett Auten You could call Debbra Arndt many things. A fairy godmother of the soil. A guardian angel of the garden. Or simply, just a good person with a philanthropic heart. Arndt returned to O’Fallon four years ago from Mount Vernon, Illinois and she brought back with her a cause that has been the guiding force in her life for over 25 years; feeding the low-income elderly. The small yard at Arndt’s home, located near the intersection of I-70 and TR Hughes Boulevard, is stacked and packed with 500 plants that produce tomatoes, peppers, green beans, strawberries, squash and more. Arndt then takes her bounty and distributes them to the doorsteps of the elderly in the region. “Many I feed are homeless and have no family to reach out to for help,” Arndt said. “The elderly in our country do not have it very good when it comes to getting food-stamp assistance. I have helped them fill out paperwork applications for help to buy food and if they are approved they usually get under $20 a month. This is so wrong. I don’t think many people are aware of the fact the elderly are living in poverty all around us.” Arndt knows all about hardship. At four-years-old she was left at a St. Louis orphanage and would go on to bounce around 14 different foster homes where often there were 10 kids or more under one roof. Unsurprisingly, Arndt would go on to have a career as a geriatric nurse where her motivation to help outside the workforce included a socks for seniors program for those in lowincome housing. A self-described bull-headed cancer survivor, Arndt returned to the St. Louis region after her husband Dewayne passed away. She was determined to continue their “Grow a Garden and Feed Elders in your Neighborhood” program that the pair started in southern Illinois. Members of the Amish community taught Arndt how to propagate her own seeds and make her garden flourish. A lifelong advocate and a believer in community service, Arndt has volunteered numerous times at local schools to show students the what, where, why,
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Photos by Ray Rockwell Debbra Arndt shows off a tomato from her backyard garden in O’Fallon. Arndt uses the produce from her garden to help feed low-income elderly residents in the community.
and when of vegetable growth. What veggies that don’t make it into the homes of the needy, Arndt uses them to make jams and jellies that she sells. Those profits and donations are the only monetary forms that keeps Arndt’s garden going. Arndt’s motivation is to spread the word and show how growing a garden can help those who need it the most. “People think it’s more difficult than it really is,” she said. “Most people have no idea what it is like to be truly hungry or sleep under a bridge or on concrete.” A combination of keeping her ear to the ground and her out-going personality is what leads Arndt to the people who need her vegetables the most. “I have never met a stranger and word of mouth leads me to the people who need me,” Arndt said. “I don’t care what color you are. We all have red blood and if you are hungry, I’ll feed you. If everyone would help just one person, how much better would the world we live in be?”
Arndt encourages anyone who is interested in helping her cause or growing a garden of their own to reach out to her at ourgivinghandsgarden2009@yahoo. com.
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