September 2, 2025
Planting Hope: Free Born Deliverance Temple’s Garden Grows Food, Community, and Faith
When Pastor Kathy Brown, Director of the Free Born Deliverance Temple’s food pantry, first met Ebone Cox, Southern Region Nutrition Coordinator for Lowcountry Food Bank, she shared a simple but powerful idea: “What if we started a garden?”
That small seed of a dream quickly took root.
Ebone immediately saw the potential. “A garden would mean even more fresh produce to distribute to our neighbors who experience food insecurity,” she said. “What a great way to nourish our community—and help folks stretch their food budgets a little further.”
From that conversation, a partnership bloomed. Volunteers from the community stepped up enthusiastically, helping build raised beds and prepare the soil. Everyone played a role—from hauling dirt to planting seeds. “Everyone was given specific roles,” Ebone said. “That ownership helped make the project a success.”
For Pastor Brown, this garden is about more than just vegetables. “I see my ministry as a journey to help people holistically—not just spiritually, but physically, emotionally, and socially,” she said. “The garden simply started with a thought. I wanted to help our community, and I thought, ‘What if we grew our own fresh produce?’”
That thought has blossomed into two large garden beds, overflowing with life: pole beans, cucumbers, bell peppers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, okra, and herbs like thyme, basil, and chives. Everything grown is given freely to neighbors who visit the pantry.
Even more special: the garden now thrives at the very pantry Pastor Brown’s mother founded over 20 years ago.
Launched in mid-March 2025, the project brought together Free Born Deliverance Temple, Lowcountry Food Bank, and experts from Clemson Extension—4H Youth Development Agent Meghan Barkley and Urban Horticulture Agent Glen Payne. Planting began in April, and by late June, the first harvest was ready.
During a July 9th food distribution, Ebone led a live recipe demo using the fresh cucumbers. She created two refreshing recipes: a creamy Greek tzatziki sauce and cucumber-lemon-mint infused water. Volunteers and pantry visitors sampled the dishes with whole grain tortillas, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes—fresh from their own backyard.
The response? Overwhelming joy.
“Seeing the literal fruits of their labor, and their excitement to continue feeding their neighbors healthy food—that’s what it’s all about,” said Ebone. “This garden brings purpose and connection. It teaches us about the environment, about nourishment, and about the power of community.”
Free Born Deliverance Temple’s pantry, a proud Lowcountry Food Bank partner agency, is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, serving around 40 households each month.
Now, with every harvest, they’re growing more than food. They’re growing hope.
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