Manna from heaven

By way

Of A Special Sock

Story by Christina Hughes Babb | Photos by Desiree Espada

For anyone who has ever longed for a fruitful (or veggie-ful) garden but lacks the green thumb for it, a product called GardenSoxx compact kits containing ready-to-grow gardens in a four-foot mesh sock — is a potential fresh-produce dream realized.

GardenSoxx are a hit with home gardeners, chefs and commercial growers. But one Ohio-based nonprofit, Family Garden Initiative, saw in these user-friendly, unfussy garden tubes an opportunity to serve a larger purpose. FGI recently teamed up with the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions (DCHS), and now the effort to help urban families grow their own healthy food is sprouting in backyards and community gardens in our neighborhood.

Early on a September morning, members of nine charities — including neighborhood churches Northlake Baptist, Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Lake Highlands United Methodist and

Wilshire Baptist, to name a few — arrived at a Garland warehouse with pickup trucks and trailers, into which they loaded the tubes. They would spend the day delivering to a number of “food insecure” congregants who agreed to participate in the gardening experiment.

Despite the heavy involvement of faith-rooted organizations, this is not about proselytizing, but about addressing hunger, says Lake Highlands resident Dabney Dwyer, the community ministries director at Ascension and member of DCHS.

“It is not about evangelism. In a year, if all goes as we hope, each garden can produce food for a family of four,” Dwyer says. She explains that the volunteers here today are delivering some 1,000 tubes to about 150 locations — homes, apartments and community plots around Dallas. With some variation depending on conditions, each participating household will receive eight of the soil-filled tubes, instructions for care, a two-gallon watering can, enough seed or sprout for one growing season and a recipe book. Recipients sign a contract with their respective nonprofit, agreeing to follow the instructions.

“This is important,” Dwyer explains, “because this is a pilot program. The participants who received the gardens will need to do some work in order to reap the produce, but if it works, it is something that could make a real difference in years to come for families dealing with poverty and hunger. This type of responsibility also empowers.”

Dwyer says more than one in five adults and one in four children in Dallas are at risk of hunger, based on data from the DCHS. “The stats represent hundreds of thousands of people who struggle every day to obtain enough food to get by. It doesn’t need to be this way,” she says. The DCHS, she says, has outlined a clear plan — utilizing the altruism of area church congregations — to make a real impact when it comes to hunger.

“GardenSoxx is just one step in a broader plan to end hunger in our city,” she says.

The hunger coalition and partner organizations have launched several ventures with the same goals: help families in need gain access to available social services and obtain health insurance and healthcare; feed school-age children during summer, when they do not have access to publicschool lunch programs; educate heads of families through nutrition and cooking classes; and feed homebound residents via a Meals on Wheels program.

Four weeks after the delivery of GardenSoxx to the gardeners, dallashungersolutions.org blogger Wendy Ortiz checked in on several of the families and organizations that received the gardens.

One Northlake Baptist Church member, from whose GardenSoxx green sprigs jut, told Ortiz that he learned gardening as a child, from his grandparents, and that the project can be as emotionally fulfilling as it is nutritionally.

A City Church member told Ortiz that she equates her own garden tending to the way she believes God cares for her.

Ortiz reports that members of the Wesley-Rankin Community Center in Oak Cliff are using the gardens as a way to work collectively to build a sense of fellowship.

“Everything from placement of the garden, to maintenance, to who would receive the food harvested, were decisions made with everyone’s input,” she explains.

“Wesley-Rankin Community Center knows that in order for this garden project to be truly successful, everyone’s voice needs to be heard.”

Both Ortiz and Dwyer point out that a social byproduct of the project is the collaboration between church members who live financially comfortably and the members or garden recipients who have less.

“It is a way for folks from different backgrounds to engage with one another,” Dwyer says.

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions at dallashungersolutions.org

Family Garden Initiative at familygardeninitiative.org

GardenSoxx at gardensoxx.com

Observation dates are Nov. 12 & 13 and Jan. 14 & 15 Open House Jan. 25, 2015

Highlander

9120 Plano Road, Dallas, TX 75238 214-348-3220 www.highlanderschool.com

Since 1966 The Tradition Continues…

Does

Dallas Academy

950 Tiffany Way, Dallas 75218 / 214.324.1481 / dallas-academy.com Founded in 1965, Dallas Academy’s mission is to restore the promise of full academic enrichment to students with learning differences in grades 1-12. A meaningful connection with each student is established to overcome barriers to success. Dallas Academy offers students an effective program and strategies to meet the special educational needs of bright students with learning differences, while including the activities of a larger, more traditional school. Classes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 6 to 1 where students are encouraged, praised, and guided toward achieving their goals. Diagnostic testing is available to students throughout the community.

Highlander School

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.

Lakehill Preparatory School

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, college-preparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.

Spanish House

5740 Prospect Ave. & 4411 Skillman / 214-826-4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

Spanish House is a Spanish immersion school with two Lakewood locations for children ages 3 months - Kindergarten. We offer half-day and full-day programs, with extended care available from 7:30am - 6:00pm. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both onand off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service.St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.

The Winston School

5707 Royal Lane Dallas, Tx 75229 / 214691-6950 / www.winston-school.org If your bright child struggles with things like Attention and Concentration, Executive Functioning and Dyslexia, The Winston School may be able to help. The Winston School has a robust academic program which prepares a student for college while at the same time developing the whole child. We understand bright children who learn differently and recognize their unique gifts and talents. Celebrating and validating these assets with our students enables them to discover who they are, and empowers them to be consistently successful. The Winston School brings hope for today and a road map for tomorrow. Open House: November 13th from 9-11 am.

White Rock North School

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool.com

6 Weeks through 6th Grade. Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus.

Zion Lutheran School

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman.

69% of our 200,000+ readers with average income of $146,750 want more info about private schools.

Anglican

ALL SAINTS DALLAS / 2733 Oak Lawn / 972.755.3505

Radical Inclusivity, Profound Transformation. Come and See!

9:00 & 11:00 am Sunday Services. www.allsaintschurchdallas.org

Baptist

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary),

Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sunday: LifeQuest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Student Ministry: Wednesday & Sunday 7:00 pm / 214.348.9697

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

Presbyterian

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship: May 25 - Aug. 31 / 10:00am / Childcare provided.

Unity

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

Beyond Flesh And Blood

Ebola exposed not only our fear but our love, too

“Are you sure this is Louise’s class?”

Looking around the room filled with mainly Anglo senior adults, the television reporter wondered if we had pulled a switch on her. She was looking for the Sunday school class attended by Louise Troh, the Wilshire Baptist Church member who was the fiancée of Dallas Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan.

“I expected to see a class for immigrants,” the reporter explained.

The Wilshire member accompanying the reporter quickly replied: “We don’t have any of those kinds of classes. We only have classes for people.”

If we as a city learn nothing more from playing host to the first known case of Ebola in the United States, surely we need to learn again the lesson that all people are created equally in God’s image. Sadly, not all in our community have been able to see past skin color and country of origin in this matter. Some immediately saw Eric Duncan as an unwelcome patient because he was an immigrant, and others immediately assumed he was mistreated because of his skin color. We need to prove both sides wrong.

“Flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God,” the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:50. Eric Duncan had fleshand-blood dreams, and Eric and Louise built a castle of dreams they never got to inhabit. If reality is only flesh and blood, that dream died with Eric Duncan. And if our vision of those walking around is only based on flesh and blood, we fail to comprehend the kingdom of God, even if we label ourselves “Christians.”

Thankfully, two of our civic leaders have demonstrated extraordinary courage during the Dallas Ebola crisis. Politics and party affiliations aside, Mayor Mike Rawlings and Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins chose to see beyond flesh and blood in offering care for Eric, Louise and others affected by this threat of illness. Their leadership has been exemplary. Many others in our community—Christians, Jews, Muslims and others—stepped forward to see Eric as a person more than a patient.

No one wanted Ebola to knock on our door, but when it did, the majority of Dallas residents would not be cowed. Outpourings of compassion and sympathy far outpaced the expressions of anger and fear. As the national media descended upon our city, we put forward a witness of faith more than fear. This has a unifying effect that should strengthen our community. And hopefully it has given us a more global perspective.

In the drama of life, we must move toward each other, not away from each other, because we know the real story reaches beyond flesh and blood. We have a choice every day about whether we will live in fear that pulls back from people or in love that moves toward people.

Christian and all people of faith should lead the way in combining the knowledge of science and the wisdom of faith. Science tells us how this disease is transmitted, and we need to accept the facts for what they are. Faith tells us how to care for our neighbors as ourselves, and compels us to live out that kind of love.

Now these three remain, the apostle says: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.