“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Matthew 25:35.

Over the summer, the High Street United Methodist Church congregation opened up the earth, planted seed and provided the fruits and vegetables of their labor to the community as a whole with its first Open Hearts Mission Garden.

In a time when fresh, organic vegetables are getting more and more difficult to obtain, the people who used the food bank in Franklin at the Cooperative Ministries have had access to this group of food this summer. Fresh vegetables can get expensive, even in a predominately rural area, where once upon a time fresh vegetables were readily available, so much so that many were extremely grateful to get their hands on fresh food.

Among the poor, access to food is often difficult in itself, especially if a person is on a fixed income. The food that is easily acquired is often of substandard nutritional quality.

It is good to see a group of people get together and decide to help their fellow man gain access to better, healthier foods. We at The Tidewater News thank the congregation at the High Street United Methodist Church for opening up their hearts and garden to the community at large. May next year’s crop be just as successful.