by Rick Greene

For we are God's co-workers; you are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:9 

The Share and Learn Garden, located behind First Community North, 3777 Dublin Road, receives tender loving care from volunteers and the children, staff, and teachers of the Mary Evans Child Development Center. Our loyal volunteers teach the children about growing healthy foods. In addition, the garden produce is donated to the Heart to Heart food pantry to provide fresh vegetables to those in need.

Shari Barger and Priscilla Mead started this project nearly 14 years ago, originally known as the Seeds of Hope North Garden. Shari and Priscilla brought in Dick Helland to manage the garden; he also oversaw a volunteer garden at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Together, these two gardens worked to supply food to multiple local food pantries.

In spring 2015, Loren and Cheryl VanDeusen (both master gardeners) took over the leadership responsibilities. FC’s Seeds of Hope Garden was renamed the Share and Learn Garden to reduce confusion between the two faith-based gardens with the same name.

The garden has supplied up to 1,500 pounds of produce each growing season for Heart to Heart during the past seven years. For the 2021 season, we grew and supplied garlic, onions, lettuce, green beans, bell and hot peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, collard greens, carrots, okra, and herbs. In addition to vegetables, volunteers have planted hundreds of tulips at the Lincoln Road Chapel, and transplanted rose bushes to save them due to FC North construction.

Just as important as providing fresh, nutritious produce for clients at the food pantry is the hands-on education and enjoyment for children attending the Mary Evans Child Development Center. They are always eager to learn about (and sample) the produce.

During this past year, the children enjoyed the newly implemented zinnia bed—both beautiful to look at and beneficial to pollinators such as monarch butterflies. During these uncertain times, the volunteers feel it is vital to provide a little beauty and help others.

Later this season, the volunteers will create a new bed to exclusively grow pumpkins for the children to pick, study, decorate, and learn about the gourd family of vegetables.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Share and Learn Garden, please contact Kate Paulson at katepaulson45@gmail.com

by Beth Hanson

Donations to the Trading Post continue to be generous, abundant, and ever-intriguing! Often, items are donated of such high value that we can’t sell them in the shop for their worth. So to broaden our clientele base (i.e., the whole world) and be able to ask for a higher price for these particular items, we sell many of them on eBay. Here are a few examples of some of these higher-end intriguing donations and where in the world they ended up going:

• Antique wire-rimmed spectacles (Japan)
• New printer (Connecticut)
• Dodge Ram hood ornament (Minnesota)
• Pomona dishes (Israel and Italy)
• New Radar Detector (Wisconsin)
• Thigh-high red stiletto boots (Washington)
• Michael Kors watch (Puerto Rico)
• Leather Lederhosen (Austin, Texas)
• Charlie McCarthy Ventriloquist Dummy (British Columbia)
• Nikon Camera (Malaysia)
• Lionel Train Cars (Pennsylvania)

I think you will be fascinated to see the amazing variety of things people have donated for us to sell. Click here if you would like to check out the current Trading Post eBay listings.

If you purchase something from this site, we will arrange for you to pick up your item at the Trading Post (or the church), which will save your shipping cost. Proceeds from the sale of these eBay items go directly to Mission Council (along with all money raised in the shop) to support the many worthwhile missions of our church. 

Besides selling men’s, women’s, and youth clothing, the Trading Post offers a variety of other merchandise for sale in the shop. So when you are looking for a bargain, or if you have things you want to donate, here is a list of the types of items we sell:

• Décor: artwork, frames, silk flowers, knickknacks, candles & candlesticks, vases, statues
• Office supplies: stationery, paper, hole punchers, pens and pencils, letter openers, file folders, notebooks
• Entertainment: DVDs, CD,s, LPs
• Books: kids & adult books, hardback & paperback, coloring books, craft books, religious books, antique books, coffee table books, travel books, maps and globes, magazines
• Housewares: dishes, mugs & teacups, kitchen implements, pots & pans, blenders, mixers, glassware, muffin tins
• Sporting Goods (but nothing too large such as skis)
• Linens: cloth napkins, table cloths, and table runners, shower curtains, pillows, sheets, doilies
• Craft supplies: paint, scrapbooking supplies, colored pencils, beads, yarn, floss, knitting needles, gift bags, wrapping paper, and ribbon
• Sewing supplies: Notions, fabric, scissors, needles, buttons, thread, seam binding
• Personal: make-up, lotions, soap, hair accessories, travel and make-up bags, organizers
• Antiques: Toys, dishes, décor, ephemera, vintage clothing
• Jewelry (even broken, which we sell for crafts)
• Toys: Legos, dolls & doll clothes, stuffed animals, trucks & cars, musical instruments, puzzles, decks of cards, blocks, games
• Accessories: belts, shoes, scarves, new underwear, hats, purses & tote bags, men’s ties
• Other: tools, gardening supplies, electronics & accessories, radios, clocks, luggage, backpacks, coolers & thermoses, tools, birdhouses & feeders

We take so much more than we can list here, but this is a general overview. Due to the limited space in our shop, we can’t take furniture or other large items like microwaves, but if you have such things that need a home, we can often tell you who else might be able to use them (for example, a refugee family).

Come in and check us out. We are in the basement of the Annex Building at South Campus. You can drop off donations in the first-floor hallway during open hours: 10 am to 4 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and the first Saturday of the month.

Did you miss the last issue of On a Mission! blog? There's a great story from the Trading Post. View it, and all past issues, by clicking the link below.

Did you know Heart to Heart is on social media? Click the buttons below to follow us. We also have a blog! Read the weekly blog posts at h2h.FCchurch.com/blog

Did you know Trading Post is on Facebook? Click the button below to follow us. You can also sign up for the email list for occasional announcements, sales, and events.