Feeding the hungry percolated in my mind after returning from Nigeria in the early 70's where I saw so much hunger. Later the Lord brought me to realize that I should address hunger right here! In 1997 after my daughter was diagnosed with heart complications from Anorexia Nervosa (the eating disorder) I felt the Lord nudge me into action! I began a campaign to locate idle land to garden. If I couldn't create a desire in my daughter to eat, then with the grace of God, I could use my gardening skills to feed those who were hungry and wished to eat.

We started our first Helping Hands Garden on Saturday, March 4, 2000 at the Tomball Museum District. We later moved to the property of Mrs. Ella Louise Hill in Rosehill and gardened there until we were granted County land to garden on in Montgomery County in the fall of 2002. Work began to birth our new permanent garden at West Montgomery County Community Development Center (CDC), at 31355 Friendship Dr (then named Magnolia Industrial Road) just weeks after the death of my daughter, Jenny Parker, from complications from Anorexia.

Helping Hands Community Garden is the Journey the Lord led me on to help 'bear Good Fruit' instead of sitting in frustration watching my daughter starve. I often get to brag that the Lord started our organization, He leads it, and sustains it still! (as those of us working the long hot, dry summers can attest!) We're grateful to be a permanent asset to Magnolia and neighboring communities. We're excited to help others learn organic gardening principles. We're pleased that others find beauty when walking among the flowers, herbs, fruit trees and vegetables to see the beauty of a Garden.

We're thankful to the foresight of County Commissioner Craig Doyal who allowed a persistent mother to sow a community garden on County land for all generations; and for generations to come. We are grateful we can offer community service hours. These can be worked for judgment hours, for Honor Society service hours, for college applications, or for other community projects.

We're all called on many levels to "feed His Sheep". It is Helping Hands Garden's mission to nourish the Spirit as well as plant His Seeds. May the Gardening done here bless everyone who enters, always.