Village of Hope is prepping for spring planting!

By Joan Janzen

ESTON - It may be February, but the team at Village of Hope in Eston is getting ready for spring. The men have salvaged scraps of rusty metal and old 2x4s and have transformed seemingly worthless junk into sturdy planters. Staff member Kyle Parsons said the wood was salvaged from one of their demolition projects, and the scrap metal was donated by a local construction worker.

Kyle Parsons stands in front of one of the planters the men at Village of Hope in Eston recently built, using scrap metal and old 2x4s. “It’s a chance to nurture living things while nurturing their own healing and growth,” Kyle explained.

“So far we’ve built two planters. Each one measures four feet by ten feet and stands 36 inches tall,” Kyle explained. The idea formulated out of a strong desire for self-sustainability at the village. “We wanted to start growing our own food to better support the program.”

The fresh vegetables will help feed the men who participate in the program, and the extras will be preserved or canned. “This will give the guys hands-on purpose and teach them new skills,” Kyle added.

It will be a learning experience for the men; however, several people have reached out with helpful advice, which has made all the difference. “It’s truly becoming a group effort,” Kyle said.

The planters are the beginning of a much larger vision. “We have a large plot of land here that we’re preparing to turn into a garden, with the goal of eventually producing enough to feed up to 25 men as the program grows,” Kyle said. “We’re planning expansion in the near future, including adding a women’s program down the line.”

It seems like a fitting illustration of what happens every day at Village of Hope, where individuals bring their addictions and broken dreams. Throughout the course of the year, their impossibilities are infused with hope, faith, and love, as they become filled with purpose and restored dreams.

“Having something to care for, like plants that depend on watering, weeding, and attention, teaches responsibility and structure in a very tangible way. If you neglect the plants, they die. That simple reality helps build discipline and accountability,” he said.

The completed planters serve as an illustration of the skills and hope the men are gaining every day. “Real change through work plus faith” are words they live by.

“It’s about rebuilding from the ground up: purpose, responsibility, structure, and the chance to nurture living things while nurturing their own healing and growth,” Kyle concluded.

It looks like Village of Hope is anticipating a bountiful harvest of fresh vegetables and changed lives.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17. The staff watches this verse play out in real time day after day at the Village of Hope.