Garden project goal to grow food and community

    Serving Other Saints, Inc. (SOS), an inter-denominational organization of Christians in Houlton and surrounding areas, will break ground on its Harvest of Blessings garden this Saturday, May 23rd.  The garden, which will include vegetables as well as herbs and spices, is located on the Calais Road, just over the Hodgdon town line from Houlton.
    According to Executive Director Lisa Hermann, the purpose of the Harvest of Blessings goes far beyond just growing food. “The emphasis is to provide opportunities for people in our community to come together with the goal of celebrating each others’ God-given gifts and talents while serving one another in love, as we are directed to do by our faith.”
    “We plan to work prayerfully and collaboratively, with produce going to those who helped work in the garden, to the hungry of our area, and to promote the future ministries that Serving Other Saints is undertaking,” Hermann said.  “This really is an effort to bring people together to teach and learn as well as produce food for the table. It’s an opportunity to transform someone’s quality of life and our community.”
    Serving Other Saints, Inc. (SOS) is in the process of applying for Section 501(c)(3) non-profit status, but has already begun to offer programs to the local community. The organization’s mission, based on the scripture Isaiah 61:1-3, is to break cycles of addiction, abuse, poverty, homelessness and hopelessness that devastate so many individuals in our midst.
    Several programs, including the Harvest of Blessings garden, a community Time Bank called Bank of Blessings, and classes on money management and thrifty shopping at SOS’s Life Skills Academy are currently being offered. The classes are designed to help individuals gain the skills they need to help them live independent, productive lives. Cooking classes will be beginning over the summer.
    Celebrate Recovery, another program sponsored by SOS provides a Christ-based 12-step program for recovery from life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups. The group meets every Tuesday night, 7 p.m. at the Houlton United Methodist Church.
    “These are just a few of the programs we have in mind based on the scripture that calls us to serve those who are poor, heartbroken, or imprisoned.  We hope that other Christians in the area will volunteer to bring the healing power of Christ to those in our area who need it.”
    “The garden is one way of showing how God is at work in our community,” Hermann concluded.  For more information and to sign up to volunteer, visit www.servingothersaints.org on the web or call Lisa Hermann at 532-2595.  Planting will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., weather permitting, and all are invited and encouraged to lend a hand.