NE

MUSTARD SEED

COOPERATIVE GARDEN

 
 
 
 
 
 

Come Paint With Us!

Back by popular demand, the Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden Committee is hosting a Painting Party fundraiser on Sunday, February 23rd from 2:00 – 4:30 pm at the church. Artist Alex Wilkie will lead everyone in painting a still life or scene from our church grounds, and participants will each be provided a canvas and acrylic paint sets.
 
Cost is $50 per person donation to the Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden. Please sign up with Leslie Spencer through the church office at 856.235.1688, by February 16th to reserve your spot.
 
Reservations are required and space is limited to 10 people, first come, first served.
 
 

Our Mission:

The Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden, hosted by FPC Moorestown, provides fresh foods to promote the well-being of everyone in our community. We look to join hands with our Moorestown Ministerium churches and other members of our community to nourish and nurture our neighbors by raising and sharing fresh produce. Children, youth, young adults and their families are encouraged to come to help tend the gardens and enjoy this beautiful place. In addition to fresh produce, we cook and provide ideas for delicious meals using what comes from the garden.

Our Vision:

We offer a beautiful garden to gather people from our church family and community to grow, prepare and enjoy fresh foods with everyone and anyone in our community, ensuring that all have access to nutritious produce.

Our Why:

We desire to be fruitful followers of Jesus: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15: 5)

We accomplished so much in 2024!

  • We harvested over 650 pounds of produce that was delivered to our two recipient organizations: the Ministerium Food Pantry and the Our Lady of Good Counsel meal delivery program.
  • Backyard Gardens (our garden building team) removed all grass, extended in-ground beds and added wood chipped paths to remaining areas. This increased the growing area and eliminated the need for mowing the small grassy areas in the garden.
  • Backyard Gardens built a durable, custom storage shed in the garden and a three-bin compost system along the exterior fence.
  • We grew flowers in addition to vegetables and were able to provide cut flowers to our donation sites in July through October. Donation site staff were appreciative of the flowers and reported that the recipients enjoyed them.
  • We implemented a strategy for crop selection, planting and maintenance that maximized the output of vegetables that are in the greatest demand by those who receive them.

In 2025, we plan to expand!

  • We will ‘grow’ our network of helpers and volunteers to support the increasing amounts of food being produced by the garden.
  • Plans are in the works to recruit and hire a paid summer intern to assist the committee in planting and maintaining the garden, and with scheduling and mentoring a larger team of volunteers to harvest produce.
  • And so exciting… we will expand the hours for volunteers to assist with the harvesting of produce, particularly in July through September.
  • We plan to recruit high school students and others needing documented volunteer hours.
 

Meet Us in the Garden

 

There are a few ways you can help:

Plant spring and summer crops
We are meeting on two Saturdays to plant spring and summer crops in the Spring. Please join us if you can.
 
Donate equipment
We could use donations of two large coolers (i.e. Igloo or similar brand) and hard plastic ice packs to keep the produce fresh at the Ministerium Food Pantry.
 
Join us in the garden
We need volunteers to be part of the harvest and delivery teams for the season. You do NOT have to be available every day in order to serve on a team. We will have teams of 5 people who will take turns.  YES! I’D LIKE TO VOLUNTEER
 
The days are:
  • First & third Monday of each month to St. Matthew’s Food Pantry (between 11 am – noon)
  • Thursdays to Our Lady of Good Counsel (9:00 am harvest and delivery)
  • Saturdays to Our Lady of Good Counsel (9:00 am harvest and delivery)
 
Please email call the church office, 856.235.1688, and leave a message for Leslie Spencer if you would like to help.

Donations Encouraged

Donations to defray expenses and support this ongoing ministry are gratefully accepted. You may give cash, checks or online (see drop down for the Garden) at any time.  I WILL GIVE
 

Thank you so much to all who take part. You are all a blessing!

Would you like to volunteer to participate during the season this year?
 

We are looking for people interested in planting, tending and harvesting the garden. We also need volunteers to help with communication  and to help plan our outreach and educational programs.

You’re invited to complete a brief survey and online indicating your interests. 
 

Questions?

The Garden is led by a committee which includes Leslie Spencer (Coordinator), Toni Farmer (Master Gardener – visit Toni on Facebook) and Susan Shaffer (Deacon Liaison). Each member, and our staff, is available to answer questions you may have. Please contact the church office at 856.235.1688.
 

Volunteering at MSCG is a blessing – listen to Liz!

 
 
 

I had the pleasure

of harvesting this morning. It was my first time; I welcome feedback as I learn. It was so peaceful; to pick & pray (a new poem title?!) I pulled 3 beets which was exciting for me as this was my first time harvesting beets. I felt like a kid in a candy shop choosing a favorite treat. This ministry shows the love of Christ like no other.
 
Leslie gave me a great tutorial Sunday after church so I was eager to harvest and deliver to the Food Pantry at The Lutheran Church.
I was so blessed to be able to stay and serve (Tamara Treziak greeted me when I arrived!) The guests were thrilled and grateful for fresh produce. Leslie ordered white paper bags, put Mustard Seed stickers on them. They were perfect for splitting and sharing the harvest among as many guests as possible.
 
Many thanks to all of you who made this vision a reality as you prepared the garden, donated plants, planted, watered, weeded.
 
Grateful & blessed, 
Liz Greene
 
MSCG

MSCG feeds our neighbors fresh produce!

 

Our garden produces a variety of nutritious vegetables each season

and we shared it with the Moorestown Ministerium Food Pantry and the meal delivery program through St. Vincent’s church. We supply lettuce, spinach, radishes, mint, summer squash and beets. We also invite neighbors in the community to donate produce from their gardens, a partnership in feeding our local friends in need!

A Special MSCG Article in Conversation Magazine

‘Church Garden Is Transforming the Community with Fresh, Organic Produce’ by Toni Farmer, Sustainable Food, November 22, 2024
 
“We have seven acres and we feel like we could be putting it to better use.” This was the phone call I received in 2022 from the First Presbyterian Church (FPC) pastor in Moorestown, NJ. It’s a stunning brick church with a towering white steeple and seven perfectly manicured acres in the center of town.
 

How Our Garden Grows

 

It all began in August of 2022

Pastor Stuart Spencer initiated a task force to explore interest in the creation of a cooperative garden at FPC Moorestown. The task force met regularly to dream and pray, learn and plan and included church and Staff members.
 
And in 2023 we launched! With the help of dedicated volunteers and donors our first growing season was bountiful. Our fresh produce was shared with the Moorestown Ministerium Food Pantry and the meal delivery program through St. Vincent’s church.

The garden is growing 

Our Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden is constructed in the grassy area near our large parking lot and the Labyrinth. As the seasons progress stop by to see what has popped up!
 
The garden is designed to meet three goals.
  • First, to use the space efficiently for maximal food production.
  • Second, the garden is aesthetically attractive and inviting. Future plans include adding benches and picnic tables for people to sit and enjoy the space.
  • Third, the garden is designed to be accessible to people of all ability levels, including those who use wheelchairs or other assistive devices. Raised beds allow those who are unable to bend down to the ground to participate in gardening. Kneeling benches will be built on the sides of the raised beds.
We thank Brian Pearsall and Alex Seidel, Backyard Gardens LLC, for the design and construction of the garden. Find them on Facebook

We celebrated the official opening on Monday, July 24, 2023

Joined by Moorestown Mayor Nicole Gillespie, members of the town council and the Ritter family who graciously funded the initial construction of the garden.

“What a blessing to finally say the Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden is open! Thanks to First Presbyterian Church Moorestown for their vision to build a garden to feed the community. Thank you Stuart Spencer for leading us and giving us agency to create this beautiful space and to the Ritter family for sponsoring it. Thank you to my partners in garden crime, Leslie and Susan (as well as the whole garden team) for a year of hard work. Thank you Mayor Nicole Gillespie, Sue Mammarella, and Quinton Law for giving us Town Council support. Grateful to all of you.” ~ Leslie Spencer

Is it going well? Yes! In such a short time, the garden was constructed by Backyard Gardens and pounds and pounds of fresh produce headed to our local food pantries weekly. We are thanking God for an incredible first season.

 

Funding Sources

 
The goal of the MSCG is to be self-supported through donations and fundraising. Funding sources to support the 2024 budget of $7,081 came from two fundraisers sponsored by the garden committee, individual donations from church members, a donation from the Deacon’s Fund, and in-kind and cash donations from local businesses.
 
 
We remain grateful to the sources that allowed for our garden construction and implementation. Our original costs were covered by two sources of donations to FPC Moorestown that are separate from the general fund.
  • The first source was the Memorial Fund; designated for improvements to the physical property of the church.
  • A second source of funding was pledged by a member toward the construction of the garden.
We are thankful for our generous donors and welcome all who would like to participate in this way.
 

The Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden ‘Painting Party’ fundraiser was a success!

Alex Wilkie, our very own artist in residence, led a class in painting a lovely outdoor scene that captures the beauty of our church grounds. First-time painters as well as experienced artists attended. Alex Wilkie did a great job leading a group of seven in creating their paintings – all were beautifully creative. This event raised $350 for the garden.
 
“I’m grateful for Alex sharing his talent and resources for the good of the garden.” said Leslie Spencer.
 
 

Would you like to make a donation of supplies?

Please bring new or nice-condition-used garden gloves, clippers, trowels, Alaska fish fertilizer 5-1-1, twine or twist tie roll, melon and pumpkin seeds, and bags of potting soil (for a Strawberry Festival garden craft). Please also bring in shoe boxes, which are great produce give-away containers. Place your items in the wheelbarrow located in the Miller Commons lobby marked “Donation Station”. Thank you for your contribution to the garden.
 
THANK YOU PARTNERS:
  • Haines Garden Center has donated 2 yards of compost, courtesy of our volunteer Jean’s visit and request to them!
  • Flagg’s Garden Center has donated weed prevention fabric plus a $50 donation to the Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden.
  • Moorestown Hardware has donated 20 bags of brown cedar mulch to the garden. 
  • Thank you to Owen Dietz, Kevin and others for purchasing the storage bin! 
 

Read Our MSCG Newsletter

 

Mustard Seed Cooperative Garden Newsletter

We are happy to bring up to date news and photos of our garden activity! Download your copy here…
 
 

Watch Our Progress!