ST. LUKE’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH HARVESTS COMMUNITY GARDEN
submitted by Kay Smith
St. Lukes delivering their harvest
A harvest of fresh tomatoes, cabbage, peppers and okra was delivered recently to the Baldwin Center in Pontiac by members of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Rochester Hills. This is a first time project for the church and, with funds provided by a Kingdom Challenge Grant, parishioners prepared the ground, planted vegetables, and tended the plants. Finally they made weekly trips to Baldwin Center with the harvested vegetables. A series of photos showing the development of the garden is available for view on the church website at www.stlukesrochester.org.
Baldwin Center is a mainstay in the helping community in Pontiac. Established in 1981, feeding the hungry is a daily task. The tomatoes received from St. Luke’s will go in salads served at one of the evening meals. During the month of July, Baldwin’s Family Kitchen served 4,460 lunches, 792 dinners, 565 homeless breakfasts, 1,034 snacks and 1,339 meals in the summer youth lunch program. A list of all of the services provided by Baldwin Center is long and varied including a clothes closet where clients receive gently used clothing donated from the area. The list of donor organizations, corporations and churches is amazingly long. It certainly takes a village to care for the hungry and disenfranchised in our area.
Community Gardens are popping up in urban and suburban settings all over the country. Many local area churches are participating in similar programs. The results are often amazing with a small plot of ground producing a bounty of healthy foods. During the last weeks of harvest, what better way to share extra produce than with Baldwin Center as they continue serving nourishing meals to those in need in Pontiac. To learn more about Baldwin Center, visit their website at www.baldwincenter.org.
Categories: Uncategorized