Last spring and summer as a part of the U.S. Engineering Do Good Challenge, U.S. Engineering Service General Manager Josh Seiler and his family transformed an empty patch of land into a bountiful garden that grew food for those in need. Their 2,100-sq-ft community garden produced over 200 lbs. of 22 different types of produce, all of it donated to local individuals and to OUR Center in Longmont, Colorado.

Now the Seilers and their Purpose Church family are ready for another, expanded gardening season. This year the plan is to not only grow and provide produce, but also to help teach others how to grow food at home. Garden workers will offer an educational program and will give seedlings and plants to anyone locally wanting to start their own home garden. Additionally, they will rototill a space for hopeful home gardeners and will provide organic fertilizer/mulch cultivated in the Seilers’ garden on the church property.

Would you like to help? The garden project team is accepting tax-deductible donations via Purpose Church. Click here to donate (in the dropdown menu, choose “Womens Ministry Garden”).

Josh and team hope to raise $5,000 to buy a 50 CU FT commercial refrigerator to preserve produce prior to distribution, and 100 sq ft of industrial incubation lighting (grow lights) and equipment to provide the seedlings for the garden and community.

Here are some stats on last year’s garden as well as projections for this year’s:

Last Year (2020)

• 2200+ sq ft garden.
• 22 different herbs and vegetables produced organically.
• All produce from the garden was donated and given to those in need in the community (Greater Firestone area via Purpose Church).
• 2020 was the initial year fully funded by donation and contributions to the church. (Do Good Challenge led to monetary contribution of ~$1,400 from the Seiler family and over 700 hours of labor).
  • Roughly same amount of labor donated by church members.

Current Year (2021)

• Same square footage for the garden at 2200+ sq ft.
• 18 different herbs and vegetables (lessons learned from last year led to optimization) everything will still be organic.
• Seiler Family to provide same labor and monetary donation (minimum of 700 hours and $1,400 although we expect to do much more).
• Increase labor donation from church (~25%).
• Adding fruit trees and fruit beds to vegetable garden roughly 350+ sq ft. outside original plan, and land plot.