At a time when food pantries around the country are struggling to feed the rising number of people in need, a Lee’s Summit church has stepped in to help. Summit Harvest, a program created by Summit United Methodist Church in conjunction with St. Luke’s Healthcare East, cultivated more than 3,000 pounds of fresh produce for Lee’s Summit Social Services and Neighbor2Neighbor, a soup kitchen in Westport.

The congregation planted a 2½-acre garden on a 43-acre site at Chipman Road and View High Drive, where it will one day build a new church.

Summit Harvest planted corn, tomatoes, summer squash, green beans, muskmelons, green peppers, hot peppers, okra and cucumbers. In all, the garden produced more than 3,000 pounds of fresh vegetables.

“It was extremely fulfilling,” said Assistant Pastor David Hutchison. “It was incredible to see what the product could be when dedicated folks spend a lot of time helping.

“At the Lee’s Summit Community Center, people’s eyes would light up, not just the volunteers, but the people receiving the food. To hear stories of how delicious the food was and how good it was to have fresh, pesticide-free food on their plates really meant a lot.”

Lee’s Summit Social Services was grateful for the help, since its food pantry has been strained by the sour economy.

“We were very pleased,” said Geneva High, executive director of Lee’s Summit Social Services. “Many, many, many of our clients live in apartments or places where they can’t have gardens. This supports our food pantry and gives us fresh produce.

“We really appreciate what they do for us. They do a wonderful job of helping us throughout the year.”

Many people receiving the produce were unsure how to prepare the fruits and vegetables, so Lee’s Summit Social Services provided recipes.

“Some came in weekly, because their families really would enjoy the produce,” High said. “One parent said that her child would not eat vegetables before this program.

“This is what’s wonderful, we can help more families. To be able to offer something that is of this quality is wonderful. It was something many of them hadn’t tried before.”

The produce given to Neighbor2Neighbor allowed the soup kitchen to feed its patrons more than the typical foods, like spaghetti, that are easy to produce in mass quantities.

“I saw how floored folks were to get the corn on the cob,” Hutchison said. “Some hadn’t had it for decades.”

The idea for Summit Harvest came from a combination of factors.

“One area that I am in charge of is mission programs,” Hutchison said. “I was looking for ways for church members to be more involved in the community.”

He thought of a book he had read while a student at St. Paul’s School of Theology that mentioned community gardens. With the 43 acres sitting untouched, Hutchison thought it would be a perfect way to use the former farmland until the church could be constructed.

Hutchison realized that the church would need help funding the project, which cost nearly $10,000. For the garden to become a reality, the church would need to prepare the ground for farming and purchase seeds and equipment including hoses, hoes and even an electric fence to keep out deer.

Immediately St. Luke’s Healthcare East came to mind. The hospital provided Summit United Methodist with a matching grant of $5,000. To come up with its half, the church asked members to adopt a row in the garden for $60.

Next year, Hutchison expects the cost of the garden to be 10 to 20 percent of the original startup because the equipment can be used again next year. The water, seeds and electricity were a small portion of the funds used.

With funding secured, Summit United Methodist needed volunteers, from initially developing the land into a garden to watering and harvesting the produce.

Each day, volunteers weeded and watered the vegetables. Most volunteers were church members, but high school students, a Boy Scout troop and even community members came to lend a hand.

One volunteer was Janet Short of Lake Lotawana. Her friend, MaryAnn Preisig, asked Short to accompany her to the garden, and because of Short’s love of gardening, she agreed.

The two spent each Wednesday evening watering and weeding. And Short said that, even though it was just the two of them, they had a ball.

“It is just such a great project,” Short said. “It was the best feeling ever to give Lee’s Summit Social Services fresh produce. I actually look forward to when it starts next year.”

Next year, Hutchison plans on allowing families to farm their own plots. The food will still go to charity, but the families can care for their own areas.

Hutchison would like to plant more corn and potatoes. He also would like use the project as a teaching tool, having church members with horticulture backgrounds lead workshops.

He intends to get feedback from volunteers, too.

“I certainly don’t want to sugarcoat it,” Hutchison said. “We faced challenges this year. Most family gardens are one-fiftieth of this size. We had to run a garden for the summer for the first time. We definitely met our challenges. I think we’ve learned an awful lot this year. If nothing else, the people in charge spent a season learning what worked and what didn’t work.