Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Begnaud.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sharon. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
The idea for The Giving Field was created based on the following passionate conviction that your income level should not dictate whether you have access to foods with higher nutritional value like organic fruits and vegetables.
The 2015 study conducted by Feeding America took a look at household food insecurity rates in the United States. According to this study, “a food insecure household lacks consistent access to enough food for all household members to enjoy an active healthy life.” Many of these families cut back on the money spent on groceries because they have to pay for housing, utilities, or medicine.
The study found that one in six people in the United States, which includes 3 million children under age 18 are a member of a household with food insecurity issues. The national average stands at 13.7% and the state of Texas average is 15.4%. In Southeast Texas one out of four children and 15% of the elderly live in poverty. More than half of these individuals rely on a food assistance program.
Southeast Texas soup kitchens serve 200,000 meals a month that consist of mostly processed and canned produce to create the meals. Their budgets limit the use of fresh produce. Although the meals provided by the soup kitchens fill their clients need for hunger they fall short in providing the nutritional values that a meal consisting of fresh, organically grown fruits and vegetables could provide. Almost all of the soup kitchen clients have health issues that could be diminished or prevented through a healthier diet.
In addition to improving the health of individuals, organically grown fruits and vegetables also contribute to the health of our planet. Too many farms in America practice conventional growing methods that rely on the use of pesticides and fertilizers that pollute our land, air, and water.
The Giving Field is a one-acre garden that provides organically grown fruits and vegetables to area soup kitchens to provide a more nutritious meal for their clients at no charge to the soup kitchens. The garden is maintained by volunteers and is managed through one paid employee. The Giving Field is a nonprofit program of St. Anne Catholic Church in Beaumont, Texas.
Mission: To help feed the hungry in Southeast Texas by bringing together the community through gardening, education, and fellowship.
Objectives:
• Grow and maintain nutritious food sources for area soup kitchens through organic and sustainable practices.
• Provide educational experiences that foster a deeper appreciation for how the natural world sustains us and promotes the betterment of the well being of the members in our community.
• Provide fellowship and service opportunities for everyone to use their time, talent, and treasure to help people in need.
The Giving Field will be seven years old this October and to date we have delivered over 50,000 pounds of organic fruits and vegetable to area soup kitchens that translated into more than 200,000 servings.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The project has received overwhelming support from the community from the very beginning. People give of their time and treasure to ensure the less fortunate in the community is provided healthy options at the soup kitchens.
The major struggles have come due to weather. As one can image, the volatility of the success of the harvest is directly tied to the varying weather patterns and major weather events in our area. The hurricanes, floods, freezes and extreme heat/droughts all present their own struggles. But the community always seems to rally to the challenges created from these events to get the garden back in its feet and producing to feed the hungry.
The Giving Field – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from others?
The Giving Field bases the volunteer’s work on not just getting the work done but understanding the meaning behind the work. Whether the volunteers are pulling weeds, using organic methods of fertilizing or planting the next seasons crops they are educated on the actions they are performing and how it affects the sustainability of the planet as well as the mission to feed the hungry. Often the volunteers will deliver the very fruits and veggies they have just harvested to the soup kitchens to interact with the staff and clients at the soup kitchens. Additionally, the members of the local community that attend garden workdays with the at risk youth and clients from the soup kitchen create a special bond with each other and breakdown the boundaries that our society puts between these groups. Area school children attend the garden on a daily basis during the school year. The focus is to help the less fortunate in their community as well as education on gardening, sustainability, healthy lifestyle, and much more. Too many of our youth don’t know where their food comes from and these are the future generations that can help our planet be as healthy as possible. The learning and actions that take place at the garden with the school children go beyond the one-acre Giving Field. These children are starting gardens in their own backyard, volunteering at area soup kitchens and starting recycling programs in their schools, in part because of the experiences they are having at The Giving Field.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
In addition to providing for the community of Southeast Texas, The Giving Field has developed a relationship with The Olive Branch For Children in Tanzania. The Olive Branch for Children (“TOBFC”) helps remote communities in Tanzania assess their primary needs & establishes programs that target the most vulnerable in those communities.
They focus on HIV/AIDS prevention and care, early childhood education, food security, environmental issues, gender equality, and vulnerable children & women.
The goal is to establish community-led programs which empower remote communities and generate models that can be replicated in communities throughout Tanzania and elsewhere.
TOBFC cooperates with local & district governments to bring quality, early childhood education to rural communities. TOBFC operates 2 Montessori schools with a total enrollment of approximately 60 students. English is taught in all classrooms.
In 2017 and again in 2019 The Giving Field traveled to Tanzania to build gardens at TOBFC Montessori schools. A deep and meaningful relationship has developed between these two organizations that spreads the mission of the garden on an international level.
Pricing:
- We have and upcoming Farm to Table Dinner fundraiser November 1 & 2, 2019 Each night starts a 5pm at a cost of $85 per person. Seating is limited and reservations must be made by calling 409-201-8702
Contact Info:
- Address: 2895 Liberty St Beaumont TX 77702
- Phone: 409-201-8702
- Email: sebegnaud@gmail.com
- Instagram: thegivingfield
- Facebook: facebook.com/thegivingfield
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
