Our Neighbors’ Garden

Sowing Seeds of Hope: A Story of Blessings from Bountiful Harvests

“Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”  Galatians 6:9

Since 2011, John Ellinger and a host of tireless volunteers armed with ambition and green thumbs, have continued to till the soil, plant the seeds, and harvest the crops. The mission of Our Neighbors’ Garden (ONG) is to supply healthy food for the tables of our neighbors in need in the five-county area serviced by Food Rescue of Northwest Michigan. Each year more than 70 area food pantries and community meal sites receive

3,000 to 4,000 pounds of vegetables from ONG, thanks to the massive efforts of garden coordinator John Ellinger, his assistant Larry Winegar, and up to 20 volunteers.

Originally from Williamston (east of Lansing), UMC Pastor John Ellinger worked in his family’s garden as a youth and continued this productive hobby in 2010 following his retirement. Our Neighbors’ Garden is on a three-quarter-acre plot on the corner of Garfield and Three-Mile Roads, just south of Traverse City. The property was acquired by Central UMC from the former Christ UMC in 2010. Since Central acquired the site, an eight-foot deer fence, a water well and irrigation system have been added, along with other improvements.

Crops grown and shared from ONG include potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, bok choy, summer and winter squash, several varieties of lettuce, beets, green beans and onions.

During the growing season, volunteers work on tilling, planting, hoeing, harvesting, washing the packaging vegetables, and packaging the vegetables for Food Rescue distribution. Workdays are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students from the TCAPS Career Tech Center assist with the labor-intensive hoeing and tilling jobs, and additional help is always welcome. As with other CUMC mission initiatives, rewarding relationships are built and bolstered during the work sessions.

Safe and nutritious vegetables are a valuable component for healthy lives. The 2023 harvest at ONG has been completed, but please consider supporting Our Neighbors’ Garden through future volunteer work and with financial contributions.

A sincere THANKS to our wonderful ONG volunteers!

Your gifts through Central’s Mission Ministries help bring the light of hope to vulnerable neighbors in our community. Click Here to donate now.