Crossroads Church isn’t just a place of worship. It is a hub for giving back, where neighbors come together to grow, support families and strengthen the local community. One of the ways they do this is through the Mason Community Garden, which launched in the spring of 2024 to provide fresh produce to the Mason Food Pantry and engage volunteers of all ages.
“God calls us to be a light in the world, and you can’t do that sipping coffee one hour a week in a dark room,” shares Jason King, co-leader of the Crossroads Mason Eco-team. Taking that to heart, he and his wife, Dena, began planning the garden in spring 2023. By fall, they were joined by lead gardeners and volunteer coordinators Marc and Julie Strouth. In spring 2024, the first crops were planted, bringing the vision to life.
From the very beginning, the Mason Community Garden has embodied the motto “We Grow Together.” “We honor God by taking care of the beautiful world he created. We love our neighbors by providing healthy and delicious produce. And finally, 'we grow together’ as a community as we work in the garden,” Jason explains. The garden not only provides fresh fruits and vegetables to the Mason Food Pantry, but it also offers a space where volunteers can learn, connect and contribute to a meaningful cause. Through hands-on work, the garden nurtures both the soil and the spirit, showing that serving others can be as rewarding as it is impactful.
“Food insecurity is all around us. It is not a problem for other people, somewhere else. It is our neighbors. No matter which community you live in, there are people who need help,” shares Jason.
The Mason Community Garden has already made a real difference for families in our community. “I met a food pantry client named Janet. Because of hardships in their family, she and her husband are raising their two young great-grandsons. Janet shared that the produce we donate is often the only fresh fruits and vegetables her family receives,” Jason recalls.
Living up to their motto, the Mason Community Garden nearly doubled in size this year. The Eco-team is experimenting with in-ground beds to make the garden more cost effective and sustainable, and plans to add a berry patch next year. Even the straw bales used during Crossroads' annual Thanksgiving Food Drive find new life here, repurposed into compost bins that enrich the soil for future crops. It’s just one example of how the garden and other Crossroads initiatives work hand in hand to address food insecurity in the community.
“The Thanksgiving Food Drive is a fantastic program that has been providing thousands of holiday meals for decades,” relates Jason. “Many of our garden volunteers help with it every year, and we hope someday to be able to contribute late-season crops as well.”
Serving 13,000 families and 110,000 people each year, the Crossroads Church Thanksgiving Food Drive provides complete holiday meals, spreading hope, dignity and a sense of community to those in need. The Mason Community Garden builds on this same mission, growing fresh produce to support the Mason Food Pantry while providing volunteers with the opportunity to connect and serve. These efforts are part of a larger culture of service at Crossroads, exemplified by Go Local. This program partners volunteers with schools, nonprofits and organizations near and far to meet the needs of the community.
“We have a saying at Crossroads: ‘We go.’ To serve others, you need to go where there’s a need. That could be your next-door neighbor or that could be someone halfway around the world,” explains Jason. Through the Mason Community Garden, the Thanksgiving Food Drive and year-round programs like Go Local, Crossroads puts this saying into action. By meeting needs close to home and beyond, the church helps neighbors, nourishes the community and shows how we can truly grow together.
For more information, visit Crossroads.net.