It wasn’t that long ago, when our interns did a film about the Pumpkin Patch at the Second Congregational Church – a true highlight of partnerships, volunteers and organizations, and Halloween fun. The interns learned a lot about what the church’s mission, how to use equipment as well as the importance of good story-telling.
We are going to miss seeing the hundreds and hundreds of pumpkins stacked on the hill. They came all the way from New Mexico, grown and sold by the Navajo Nation. Through the years, these pumpkins have sat on many a doorstep, used to make pies, and decorated schools and offices for a Halloween festivities.
With Covid-19 still rampant, sadly, the church will not be able to hold their annual Pumpkin Patch this year. Unloading the truck and running the Patch does not allow for safe social distancing and other health-promoting measures. The money usually made from the Pumpkin Patch went to The Navajo Nation, The Winchester McCall Middle School After-school Programs, The Woburn Council of Social Concerns/Food Pantry, the Boy Scout Troop 507, the Winchester High School Connect and Commit Service Organization and other mission needs that come up throughout the year.
What can we do this season? First be safe and buy local. What happens to the Indians who grew all these pumpkins? Did you know that in the greatest food-producing nation on earth, several thousand Traditional Navajo Elders living on the Reservation face hunger and economic insecurity every day? Although families help their Elders, conditions exist that make our assistance essential:
- Family members cannot financially meet all the Elder’s basic needs.
- A serious gap in services in remote areas exists.
- As Elders age, their ability to work diminishes while basic requirements for firewood, specialty
Since you can’t buy the pumpkins from the Indians, you can go to the website Adopt-a-Native-Elder and make a similar donation in support of our native siblings who have been particularly hurt by the Covid pandemic.
Happy Halloween!
