Support Ralph's Garden & Help Cover Legal Expenses

This summer, I’ve been volunteering my spare time to help a man named Ralph Brooks with his garden and personal projects. Ralph is a 70-year-old man who has quietly dedicated years of his life to our community. He ran Brooks Carpentry, where he provided employment opportunities to local residents, did work at our schools (before they started falling apart), built dozens of homes, businesses, and custom projects. He has been growing fresh vegetables for our community in Coal City, Illinois for the last several years. His garden, known locally as Heritage Gardens, isn’t a business empire or a commercial farm — it’s a labor of love, a source of food for local churches and food pantries, as well as a low cost high quality produce resource for neighbors.

Unfortunately, after I began sharing photos of his vegetables on social media to support him, the village took notice — and not in a good way.

Ralph was handed a list of violations from the village of Coal City, claiming his garden is “too large” and that selling vegetables from his home is illegal. He’s been told that this might be his last year allowed to grow, and even faced remarks that the village is “doing him a favor” by letting him finish out the season.

Most of what Ralph grows is donated. What little he does sell — $1 to $5 vegetables — barely covers the costs of seeds, fertilizer, water, and supplies. The expenses of rezoning a garden alone are hundreds of dollars, and that doesn’t include moving his stand again (as they’ve now requested) or addressing petty code violations, like a yard decoration being two inches out of compliance.

We believe this is unfair.

And it’s not just about Ralph — it’s about preserving the right of small, local growers to contribute to their communities without being burdened by unjust obstacles. The village is putting obstacles in Ralph's way, yet allowing other serious violations to slide. The investment that is made against him feels like a personal vendetta, given that many others sell things of similar nature in our town with no problem.

The laws are on his side.

Illinois has several statutes that protect small home growers like Ralph, including:

The Cottage Food Law

Direct Farm Sales Act

Farm Products Marketing Act

Illinois Department of Agriculture Promotion Law

These laws exist to support local food producers and communities, yet Ralph is being pressured as though he’s running a large scale operation.

When I attended a village board meeting to speak on his behalf, I was told that was not the place to discuss it and I had no business doing it there. One man spoke as if he knows so much about what we are doing he might as well remind me what my social security number is. It makes no sense, as anyone who truly KNOWS Ralph's mission with this knows it is all for the community. Instead, the situation was compared to running a trucking company from someone’s backyard. The message was clear — there was no care to learn more about it. 

Ralph has helped me in many ways personally and I would like to do something for him that reminds him that everyone he has helped in our community over his lifetime appreciates what he has done. This is the same man that may not know where his next $20 or meal will come from, but he makes sure when I walk out of his house I am taken care of and have anything that I need. He is someone who has given vegetables away for free, knowing others need them, when behind closed doors he has had many moments of needing it more than them.

We’re raising funds to:

Cover any legal or rezoning fees to protect Ralph’s right to grow.

Help with relocation or adjustments required by the village.

Support the costs of maintaining the garden through the season.

Prove that small, community efforts like Ralph’s deserve to be protected, not penalized.

Every dollar makes a difference — whether it’s $5 or $25. This isn’t just about vegetables. It’s about fairness, dignity, and standing up for our neighbors when it matters.

If you’ve ever benefited from a community garden, a local grower, or just believe in preserving small-town values and the right to grow your own food, please consider donating

Madyson Togliatti