Last week, a few of us on the Mount Olivet staff had the opportunity to gather with the Giving Garden team over mid-morning refreshments and learn more about the ministry of our Giving Garden and the impact it has on our community.

The gardeners who tend to the plots are passionate about stewarding the land that has been set aside to grow fresh, healthy food for neighbors experiencing food insecurity. From spring planting through the summer and fall harvest, you will find them in the garden two mornings each week, Mondays and Thursdays, planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting.

And the abundance that comes from our garden is truly remarkable.

For an annual investment of approximately $1,000 for seeds and plants, the Giving Garden produces around 3,000 pounds of produce each year. I asked the gardeners what they thought that produce would cost if it were purchased at a farmers’ market, food co-op, and grocery store. Their estimate? Around $12,000!

Of course, the real value of the Giving Garden cannot be measured in dollars. Throughout the harvest season, these beautiful vegetables make their way to our ministry partners including PRISM and Home Free Domestic Violence Shelter, as well as to our own Mount Olivet Loaves and Fishes Monday Community Meal, which serves an average of 150 meals every single week.

The Giving Garden is a ministry grounded in faith, dedication, love for the land, and love for our neighbor. The gardeners care for the budding and growing plants diligently and lovingly. And eventually, the harvest makes its way onto the tables of people throughout our community.

This is holy work, and the garden is sacred ground.

Our congregation and our community are incredibly blessed by this ministry and by the people who so faithfully nurture it. We are deeply thankful for their time, their care, and their commitment to sharing the abundance of God's good earth with our neighbors.

Enjoy these photos of some of the members of our Giving Garden ministry team and the garden itself. And stop by to see for yourself what is happening here with this ministry. It is amazing.

Pastor Desirée Uhrich