Yesterday (August 6) we packed 250 boxes of staple food for distribution to the Spring Creek, Spillcorn and Ivy Ridge Communities with the help of two Mars Hill University Football players, Richard and E.J. and church member, Sybil. These folks did an EXCELLENT job and we are so thankful for their hard work (else we would have had to pack the boxes ALL by ourselves). Our thanks to each of them and to Coach Tim Clifton for sending us such gentlemanly, hardworking, and STRONG young men. It was a joy for us to get to know them better. Feeling very blessed and thankful!!!!
Back to School Backpacks Delivered to Spillcorn and Spring Creek this weekend
Here are a few of the recipients of the 31 backpacks and school supplies delivered to the Spillcorn Community last Saturday. 20 backpacks with school supplies were delivered to the Spring Creek Community on Friday, July 31st. On Monday, August 3, 59 backpacks and school supplies will be delivered to the Ivy Ridge Housing Authority in Mars Hill. With School starting on August 17th, these young people are ready to start the new year with a new backpack and school supplies, something many of these families could not afford to provide for their children. What a blessing to see these happy faces as they modeled their new backpacks for us!
Viewmont Baptist Church Youth Group
The Youth and their leaders from Viewmont Baptist Church in Hickory, NC came on August 1 to help us make a delivery of staple foods, potatoes, pintos and cornmeal along with backpacks and school supplies to Spillcorn. Afterwards, they helped pack boxes of potatoes and assisted in organizing the "Barn". We are thankful for the sweet, hardworking, willing spirits of these young people and their leadership. We had a wonderful day ministering together!
Meet One of Our Summer Interns - Caitlin Deaver
This summer we have been blessed to have Caitlin Deaver as one of our summer interns. Caitlin is from Weaverville, NC. She is a Bonner Scholar at Mars Hill University where she will be a sophomore this fall majoring in middle education. Caitlin helped us reorganize the food storage room last week, June 29-July 4th. She also helped set up tables for a huge box packing and afterwards organized the food storage room in alphabetical order. (Those of you who know Sharon, know this makes her VERY happy!) Sorting and unpacking items off the trailer today was a breeze thanks to Caitlin's efforts. Thank you Caitlin for blessing us.
Great Helpers from St. John's United Methodist Church!
A group of young people from St. John's United Methodist Church helped us pack boxes on June 26th. They did an awesome job and even helped us pack the trailer for our delivery. We are thankful for these young people and their youth minister, Val Kenney and their other adult leaders for sharing in the blessing of helping to feed the hungry in Madison County!
Mountain SASI
On Tuesday, June 16, we were blessed to have these amazing young people help us with some organization! These polite, conscientious, dedicated, and talented young athletes came to help on a day it was 90 degree outside and sweated to help us get two rooms at Mars Hill Baptist Church organized into food that has been boxed and food that is awaiting the next "boxing". Now we know what we have available and what we need to order in preparation for the next time we pack food boxes for the hungry in Madison County. We are thankful for such awesome volunteers and their leaders! I particularly loved that several of them admitted that they are as OCD as I am! ;) That made our time together even more fun! A shout out and hugs to this great group! :)
Introducing "Elmer" - our "new" 1956 Allis Chalmers tractor
Following the renovation of our garage, it was discovered, sadly, that our FarmAll would not be able to continue to be used for the grinding of corn into cornmeal. Sooooo, meet Elmer - our newest addition. He will be running our 1926 Williams Grist Mill - look for a post on Facebook of the tractor in action!
New Trailer
We are very excited to introduce you to our new trailer! Some of you gave monetary donations to help us be able to purchase this trailer and we are truly thankful for your gifts. We put it to use for the first time last Monday when we went to MANNA foodbank in Asheville. As we were coming home, the skies opened up and we had a downpour! How thankful we were not to have to spend the time under an overpass getting soaked ourselves as we tarped the load- (and we can't tell you how many times we have done that in the past five years!!!) We'll be naming the trailer (as is our tradition) soon - so stay tuned for how the new trailer is helping us feed the hungry (dryly!) in Madison County!
The Lord's Harvest Delivers to Tennessee
After ten days of being down due to a virus, Bill Welsch made deliveries this week (April 13th through 17th) to several food distribution points. One of those spots is New Victory Baptist Church in Jonesborough, TN. The staff at the help center, pictured above) are always delighted to see Bill and come out to help him unload the truck. Fifty boxes of potatoes (750 pounds), pintos (100 pounds) and stoneground cornmeal (100 pounds) are delivered there once a month to this group who provide food to many hungry families in the Eastern Tennessee Mountains.
We are thankful for all the volunteers who help us with various aspects of packing loading, or unloading. Sharon's mother and daddy, Eloise and Glenn Howell have been coming once a month since January 2015 to help with packing the boxes. 
We don't know what we would do without them!
We are also thankful for the many faces we are blessed to see when we make deliveries. Here is one of the volunteers at FARM (Feeding Aging Residents of Madison), a program that we developed that helps provide food to veterans and other senior adults in Madison County. 
If you would like to learn more or if you would like to help, we welcome volunteers! The Lord's Harvest is a non-profit organization that is run solely by financial contributions. We are thankful for those who give so that our neighbors who are hungry can receive physical and spiritual food1
Helping the Madison County Backpack program
This past Tuesday, we helped the Madison County Backpack Program with 200 bags of potatoes and pinto beans. The packs were packed by members of the Mars Hill University Softball team, one member of the Mars Hill University Baseball team and some of the girls for Delta Zeta. These bags, which included cornmeal muffin mix and a canned ham, will be distributed to 200 students this weekend for use during Spring break which begins on Monday. Bags were packed in a little under 50 minutes! Thanks to all those who helped and especially to Willa Wyatt, who heads up the backpack program at Mars Hill Baptist Church! It was an honor for us to help!
Partnering with The Mars Hill Baptist Community Feeding Program on Saturday, March 28th
We were so blessed to partner with the Mars Hill Baptist Community Feeding Program on Saturday, March 28th. 100 boxes including staple foods, potatoes, pintos, stone ground cornmeal, apples, onions, and carrots were shared with folks in need in Madison County. Special thanks to all who helped to pack boxes, including our Mars Hill University Bonner Scholars, Jenna Greene and Hunter Wallace, and to Samuel and Lawrence Ramsey, and to those who helped load and unload boxes for transport to the Wagon Wheel, including Harold Tipton, Milton Ready, David Brott, Jerrell Deaver, Don Russell, Larry and Travis Davis and the Boy Scout Troop and their leader, Jim. And kudos to the scouts! They helped those who were served by carrying boxes and keeping things organized. How grateful we are for all those who braved the bitter cold and brisk wind to pass out boxes for over two hours to help our neighbors in need. And thank to the Community Feeding Program and their leaders, Nita Ready, Elizabeth Hamrick, and Dixie Tipton, for partnering with us in this endeavor. It was a blessed day and we give thanks!
This is why we do what we do!
We partnered with New Victory Baptist Church in Jonesborough, TN this weekend to provide potatoes, pintos and cornmeal to 200 students who are preparing for Spring Break in the Harland County, Kentucky area. What a joy to see the faces of these children as they received their bundles of food. What a blessing to be used by God in this way! This is why we do what we do!
Cub Scout Pack 524 great helpers!
The Cub Scout Pack 524 from Mars Hill Baptist Church came on Valentine's Day and made our hearts glad by packing potatoes and labeling cornmeal bags. Way to go Scouts!
Great helpers from Salem Baptist Church in Dobson, NC came last Saturday!
2014 end of the year report!
The Lord’s Harvest: Feeding God’s Children
Dear Friends,
What a year we had in 2013. Between the record breaking rainfall, two plantings of potatoes and “bugs” we had a less than stellar year at The Lord’s Harvest. Still we were able to give something to those who are hungry in our community and for that we give thanks to God!
Over the winter months of 2013 and 2014 we prayed for God to guide us about the upcoming year. For 2012 and 2013 we battled a lot of rain and lost a lot of potatoes which rotted in the field. The 2013 harvest was only about 2,000 pounds on approximately 6 acres; far less than our 16,000 pounds the first year we planted on only an acre!
As a matter of good stewardship we decided to switch gears for 2014. We found a source that would sell us 50 pound bags of potatoes far less than what we could grow them for during the best of conditions. We added cornmeal to what we were sharing with our neighbors in need. We are purchasing the certified corn from a source in Boonville NC and we began purchasing pinto beans as well.
Sharon and I have received far more blessings this past year, than we could possibly pass out to those that we have been trying to assist thru food distribution.
We thank God for all that He has down for us. The answered prayers and how He never fails us has been amazing and we are having the times of our lives. This past year has been amazing. His divine guidance and love made a path for us to follow that has brought tears and Joy.
I want to thank Sharon for all she has done. Most of all I thank her for her prayers and support. She is the prayer warrior of this ministry and without her the Lord’s Harvest would not exist. She supports me thru times when those times looked kind of bleak for me.
Sharon and I want to thank our family members and friends for their hard work and monetary support. They have been a real inspiration and we thank God for them.
Last to my Veteran Brothers and Sisters from all of the Military Services. These Combat in Arms Brothers and Sisters have literally been the monetary back bone support for the Lord’s Harvest. Because of their love for their fellow Americans and the deep rooted love for those that are down trodden, they have provided the resources for people they have never met. Their deep rooted desire to provide a freedom from despair has been a part of them all of their lives and they have stepped up to the plate to help.
The Lord’s Harvest presently distributes to 9 Points on a Monthly Basis. They are:
- The Beacon Of Hope, Marshall, NC: Every Monday Morning.
- Neighbors In Need, Marshall, NC: Every Tuesday Morning.
- 1st Wednesday of every month Victory Baptist Church, Washington County, TN.
- 2d Wednesday of every month Hot Springs Salvation Army Post, Hot Springs, NC
- 1st Thursday each month FARM (Feeding Aging Residents of Madison) This is a joint County wide program with the Community Services of Madison County
- 1st Friday, Flats Missionary Baptist Church, Spring Creek (Joint program with The Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- 2d Friday, Salvation Army Point, Old Rock School, Spring Creek, NC
- 3d Friday, Spring Creek United Methodist Church (Joint Program with The Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- 4th Friday back to the Salvation Army Point, Old Stone School, Spring Creek, NC
We participated in 12 major special events during the calendar year 2014:
- January Community meal at the Wagon Wheel(Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- May Community Meal at the Wagon Wheel (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- October Community Meal at the Wagon Wheel(Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- Walnut Fire Department February (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- Walnut Fire Department May (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- Hot Springs Food Give Away (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- Spillcorn Food Give Away (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Feeding Program)
- New Victory Baptist Church, Washington County, TN
- Thanksgiving Backpack Event (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Backpack Program)
- Christmas Backpack Event (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church Backpack Program)
- Operation Santa, (Joint event with Mars Hill Baptist Church)
- United Way, Eastman Chemical Plant, Kingsport, TN
Total Families Reached with food in 2014:
- We distributed food to 300 families in Washington County, TN
- We distributed food to 11,090 families in Madison County, NC
Total Pounds of food by type distributed:
- Potatoes: 48,950 pounds (Broken down and packaged in 2, 5, 8, 10, and 15 pound bags)
- Corn Meal: 12,500 pounds (Broken down and packaged in 1 and 2 pound bags)
- Pinto Beans: 10,000 pounds (Broken down and packaged in 1 and 2 pound bags)
- Cabbage: 800 pounds
- Sweet Potatoes: 500 pounds
- Apples: 300 pounds
- Oranges: 300 pounds
TOTAL FOOD DISTRIBUTED FOR THE YEAR 2014: 73,050 pounds
TOTAL FAMILIES SERVED FOR YEAR 2014: 11,390
If you would be willing to help with this ministry, it would be of tremendous help! We want to be able to continue to feed the hungry. Perhaps you would consider a monthly gift, or even a onetime gift: No gift is too small! Make your checks out to Mars Hill Baptist Church and in the memo line write “The Lord’s Harvest”. If you would like to make a onetime donation you can do that on our website at www.lordsharvestforthehungry.org. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the donate button. If you want to make a monthly donation you will have to mail us the donation monthly. We are working the bugs out on the website. It will not accommodate monthly automatic donations at this time. Sorry for the inconvenience.
As always, we are so appreciative of those who have given to help us in the past and we are especially thankful for those who pray for us and for the ministry! Please do continue to pray; your prayers keep us going!
We give thanks for you!
Bill (Willy) and Sharon
Merry Christmas from The Lord's Harvest!
On this most holy of nights, we wish you the joy and peace of Christmas. May this Christmas and the coming New Year be filled with "Wonders of His Love!"
Helping with Operation Santa at Mars Hill Baptist Church
We were so blessed to be able to help Mars Hill Baptist Church with Operation Santa today. 150 children in 54 families received toys along with the makings for Christmas dinner, a fresh food box, which included potatoes, dried pinto beans, and stone ground cornmeal from The Lord's Harvest and a snack box provided by one of our partners, The Mars Hill Baptist Feeding Ministry. It was an incredible experience - in the busy-ness of the season it was wonderful to be able to help folks who would not otherwise have Christmas. Let us remember WHY we give, because God first gave to us through His Son, Jesus, whose birth we celebrate on December 25! Merry Christmas!
December Update
Hello Everyone! I hope this finds all of you doing well. This is a special time of the year. It’s Christmas. The Joyous time of the year that I hope and pray will be special for all of you. I want to send some facts and figures about where we are at with The Lord’s Harvest. We truly have been blessed this year and in a couple of weeks I will send a report for the year. This report contains figures from this quarter and a look at January 2015. In October of 2014 we distributed food to 1095 families. November jumped to 1170 families. December will bring 1339 families and January could bring 1495 families to our Ministry.
Presently our account balance $1917.84. The cost for December is $2967.84.
The Lord’s Harvest collects $1615.00 dollars from regular monthly donors who donate the same amount each month. $615.00 of this amount is my tithe to The Lord’s Harvest. I pay for the fuel for 2 trucks and the tractor that runs the grist mill out of the money I make doing contract work for the US Army. Any break downs and regular maintenance comes out of that money. Licensing and insurance also is paid with the contracting money.
Because we have been asked to serve 2 more communities here in Madison County the cost for the month of January 2015 is estimated to be $3350.00. This will be the last that I will consider adding because physically and weekly time constraints will not allow for more to be added.
Starting in January the Lord’s Harvest will serve 1495 or 1500 families. 10,600 LBS of potatoes will be distributed. 1,770 LBS of Pinto Beans and 1,770 LBS of Corn Meal will be distributed.
I need your help. The hunger issue here is very serious and hard to believe. The winter has started in brutal fashion. We have had 3 snows here with about 10 inches of snow total. I have come to the point where I just cannot take on anymore. Sharon and I work almost 12 hours each day just to keep up. Sometimes more if the weather is bad because bad weather restricts corn grinding for corn meal. The number of families that I listed are heavy with single senior citizens many living as shut ins.
If you can help make your check out to Mars Hill Baptist Church and in the memo line write “The Lord’s Harvest”. Please mail the check to the address below in the Lord’s Harvest signature line. We have some issues right now with the web site donation button. As soon as we get those issues fixed I will send word that you can donate on line. If at the end of this year you have a need for a tax credit I would ask you consider us for a donation. Every dime goes to the ministry. I promise you that. We also covet your prayers. Somehow we will be successful with the Lord’s help. He has always blessed beyond our dreams and our dream is to help those that are seniors and the children. Children who had no choice who their parents are. Gents I have come to the point in life where it really doesn’t matter what I think or who I think should and should not get assistance. All that matters is what God has asked me to do and He will take care of the judging. Thanks for listening and I know the Lord will bless you in whatever way you help. We covet your prayers. There is not room in this email to thank you enough for what you have done and how you have helped us.
I soon will be sending a Christmas wish to you all. Until God Bless all of you and I trust that God will bless your life beyond your dreams and imagination.
Labels from our friends at Canterbury United Methodist Church
Today we received a "care package" from Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham, AL. Their youth took the time to label quart and sandwich bags with our logo and the cornmeal recipe and to include a scripture verse. As we share physical food, we pray for God to share spiritual food and hope to those who receive the boxes. How thankful we are for these wonderful young people and their commitment to help us minister! You guys are awesome!
Working with the Madison County BackPack program housed at Mars Hill Baptist Church
The Lord's Harvest worked with the Madison County BackPack program which is housed at Mars Hill Baptist Church, on Friday, November 14. We provided potatoes, pinto beans and stone ground cornmeal to be added to the ham and some muffin mix for the holiday pack to be distributed to 150 school aged children in Madison County Schools the week of Thanksgiving. With help from Backpack liason, Willa Wyatt and the Delta Zeta Sorority at Mars Hill University, we packed 150 bags in a little over an hour! Great team effort! We are so happy to have been a part of this worthwhile ministry! 
