Sunday school kids learn their lessons well with garden

The phrase "Sunday best" takes on a whole new meaning for the kids at Southminster Presbyterian Church.

On Sundays, when their parents get all dressed up, they toss on their grubbiest work clothes and head off for services at the Arlington Heights church.

They're on a mission of their own to feed their neediest neighbors.

Mid-service, the youngsters leave the building, head out to the garden plot they built on the property and work on growing fresh vegetables for the Elk Grove Township Food Pantry.

"The kids really know they are taking this to people who need the food," said Sally Busse, one of the parent volunteers working with the Sunday school students.

On a normal summer, children's attendance at church tends to be minimal, at best: maybe a half dozen kids. This year, though, since the Plant a Row for the Hungry garden's creation,- there's a predictable crowd of 15 to 20 children.

"In the dog days of summer, they get to do something fun and put their efforts into helping others," said Jill Bennett, the director of children's education at Southminster.

Parents decided to do a summer program that was new and unique this year, and thought giving the kids the chance to see a garden grow, and how their efforts can help people would draw some interest. But even they were surprised at the subsequent interest.

They're already planning to triple the size of the 10-by-20-foot plot for next year.

"It's not only that this helps feed people that need it, it shows the kids the value of nurturing something," Busse said.

In their little garden, they've planted a wide variety: squash, tomatoes, lettuce, pepper, broccoli and cabbage.

Plant a Row for the Hungry is a national campaign that encourages gardeners to plant a little extra and donate that harvest to area food pantries and soup kitchens. It's sponsored nationally by HGTV and the Garden Writer's Association of America, and organized locally by the Daily Herald.

This year, the local campaign goal is 45,000 pounds.

And every single one of the pounds the children produce this season gets an equally enthusiastic reception from the Southminster crowd.

After each Sunday's work is finished, they carry the harvest to the front of the church to show to the rest of the congregation.

"Because the kids created it," Busse said, "and they took care of it from beginning to end, they're really proud of what they get now."

And the best part about it is this: when it leaves their hands, it's going to food pantry clients who will match that appreciation level