Prepping Spring Garden To Feed The Homeless

Plowing, tilling, hoeing a one and a half acre garden.

It's a scene only possible because of a phone call from the pastor of Maumelle's First United Methodist Church.

"He called and said 'Hey can you use about 160 teenagers?' And I said bring it on," said Aaron Reddin.

He started the garden last year and vegetables from it go to feed who he calls our unsheltered homeless neighbors.

"We want to be able to provide them with some dignity," he said. "Some fresh foods."

"They're going to have a lot of food for a lot of people who are hungry," said Taylor Pate.

She's the mission coordinator for the church and helped coordinate the effort .

As an organic farming student as well, she's excited for the garden's potential.

"Pounds and pounds and pounds of food!" she said.

"I'm not very good at this," said Ben Overturf.

The outing also serves as an eye opening experience for the largely urban -minded teens.

"A lot of them are from the city so they've never really done something like this before," said Pate.

Teens like Overturf who said he's only dabbled in a little in yard work.

"Mowing grass is the closest thing," he said. "I've never planted anything in my life."

While the teens till, Reddin constructs a chicken coupe.

He expects the garden to be at 100% production by next year.

Then he hopes to set up the homeless with a way to sell the produce at farmer's markets.

"Sell what they've helped to grow," he said.

And what these kids helped to start.

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