Friday, November 29, 2013

Thought Garden

"Plant a seed within your mind, 
And rear the tender thought. 
Cultivating it to grow,
And reap a bountiful crop."
 ~ Deanna Bonn

It all started as an idea, a thought.  That thought needed to be cultivated, it needed to be tended. It needed nourishment and it even needed to be pruned.  But that thought came to life and became a life sustaining organization.  We all hope the thoughts we plant and grow are life giving and life sustaining.
Just as the organization that is near to my heart chooses to not only help but to "hope" the starving by teaching them how to plant and grow life giving food for themselves.

Numana Inc., based in El Dorado, KS, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity formed in August 2008, as an international hunger relief organization. Their first food-packaging event was held in El Dorado, KS in December of 2009. Since then they have packaged over 27 million meals from coast to coast with the help of over 170,000 volunteers. To date, Numana events have benefited children and families in The United States of America, Haiti, Vietnam, El Salvador, Honduras, Columbia, South Africa, Rwanda and Liberia. And this is just the beginning.

They have also started to hope the community of El Dorado with Numana Gardens, which is a community program in place to give people an opportunity to volunteer and serve the hungry in their immediate area.  From the El Dorado Numana Garden they have been able to serve: 

Prospect School - Hundreds of starter plants were raised by Prospect students and purchased for planting at Numana Gardens
Kids Need to Eat Program – 60 children receive lunch through the summer at Skelly school on a daily basis.
El Dorado Salvation Army - Serving 35 families in El Dorado per week.
Senior Center - Boxes of fresh produce dropped off weekly for members enjoyment
Towanda Food Pantry (Moms In Prayer) – Serving 15 families per week in the Towanda community.
Volunteers - Through partnerships with BCC, churches, K-State Extension office, and others; Numana provides educational and volunteer opportunities at the garden.

Numana is in the process of "planting" other community gardens around the world to hope the people in other impoverished situations.   

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Proverbs 18:21

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