During World War II, the government rationed staple foods like milk, butter, cheese and bread. Additionally, because so many men were gone to war, it was difficult to ship fresh fruits and vegetables to grocery stores. As a result, the government encouraged many homeowners to plant "victory gardens" where they could grow their own produce. According to Wessels Living History Farm, about 20 million Americans planted these gardens.
Now, 70 years after the end of WWII, a group of veterans living in the Community Living Center at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, have recreated this agricultural tradition. The residents, all aging veterans, have worked together to grow a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. It promotes cooperation and provides them with a chance to use the skills they developed in their youth. About 70 percent of the medical center's residents work in the garden.
"It's a cooperative kind of thing," Sarah David, a recreation intern at the center, told the Times Leader. "[The veterans] may not be able to do all of the work, but they have the wisdom."
So far, the garden has produced zucchini, tomatoes and many herbs. The center also uses the garden as a therapeutic counseling area.