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Support for Mission Trip 'Grows' While Feeding the Hungry
ROCHESTER, MN (August 17, 2006) – The youth group at Rochester Covenant Church has figured out a way to grow support for its mission trip to Mexico while helping the hungry in their area at the same. Students and several adults have planted and tended a garden behind the church. The produce is then offered for donations on Sunday mornings. Half the profits will defray next year’s trip to Mexico, and the other half is given to Channel One, a local food pantry, says Jim Eaton, associate youth director. The garden was planted in early June and measures roughly 100 feet by 50 feet, says Eaton. Produce includes watermelon, cantaloupe, pumpkins, tomatoes, radishes, lettuce and 16 rows of corn. “We went a little crazy,” Eaton says. Harvesting began recently and should continue for some time, Eaton says. He expects the near future to be busy and profitable. Students record the hours they work in the garden and will receive mission trip funding based on their labor. Gardening also has proved a cultural experience, as the teenagers work near immigrants who are growing their own produce, thanks to the church.
At the request of Channel One, the congregation has set aside half an acre of land to be farmed primarily by African and Southeast Asian immigrants, Eaton says. The immigrants were farmers in their home countries, and each is apportioned part of the plot to grow vegetables as a means of self-support. The immigrants also enjoy the opportunity to practice their former livelihood, Eaton adds. Health regulations prohibit Channel One from stocking fresh produce, Eaton says. Pantry organizers asked organizations throughout the area to allow gardens to be planted so people could have fresh vegetables.
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