We Grow As We Go

Driving home yesterday (I spend a lot of time driving if you haven't noticed yet) I was admiring the dozen or so fruit trees a neighbor down the road had planted. It made me think of my childhood, and the fruit trees and massive garden my mother had. There may have been times she didn't know how we were going to have anything for Christmas but we never went hungry. Mom gardened as her parents did, as so many did, after the World Wars. She canned, she jammed, she baked and she preserved.

Our neighbors did the same. In our small community, someone would have what you needed. Eggs from their chickens or milk products, fruit and vegetables and livestock. My first grade teacher taught us how to make butter and in 3rd grade we baked bread. I remember the first time I had venison was in that little community of less than 20 houses surrounded by fields and woods.

All these fond memories and ruminating gave me an idea. What if we planted fruit trees, and then we could harvest and help others with a little extra food security? Our current sacred space is on 14 acres in Hampshire County, West Virginia (though I have high hopes of relocating the temple to a city). Plenty of space for fruit trees and then some.

When I think of food insecurity and charity, I think of Hekate. More of the Hekataion that were placed outside of homes in ancient Greece. Meal leftovers were often placed here as offerings to ask for protection, and the hungry and homeless would come put the food to good use.

4.02k out of 22.5k people live below the poverty line in Hampshire county, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.6%. The schools send home "weekend bags" of food for elementary-aged children who may otherwise not eat until they get back to school on Monday. And in summer or school holiday breaks, these kids have it very rough.

There are 2 food pantries, but they're usually open only once a month and certainly can't feed hundreds of people. I saw a post recently from one of them with a cry for help, because donations were so low they didn't have a way to feed the people who utilize them most often. How do we live in the year 2024, at this big age in civility and advancement, and we still can't manage to feed everyone?

I know we have temple members around the world that don't eat as often as they would like or even need. What if we could send them jars of preserves, dried fruit or vegetables, soup mixes where all they need to add is water? Am I crazy in thinking this would be an endeavor blessed by Hekate and Demeter and Hestia at the least? Are my dreams just too big for reality? I don't think so. We have the space. We have the heart. We just need the wherewithal. Who's with me?