As the temperature starts to drop and fall festivities ramp up, Methodist churches across the county turn the tradition of picking pumpkins to a business that supports people locally and afar.
In partnership with Pumpkins USA, the Methodist churches from San Marcos to Wimberley and Buda sell more than 250,000 pounds of pumpkins, with proceeds going to local charities and the Native American tribes that grow these festive fruits.
Revenue from the Buda Methodist Church’s pumpkin patch goes to a scholarship fund for college-bound students in Hays County. With the arrival of around 100,000 pounds of pumpkins this year alone, the Buda United Methodist Church (BUMC) may be on route to a record-breaking season.
“We sold over $60,000 in pumpkins last year and this year, we had two, 50,000-pound trucks drop off all the pumpkins,” said Hutch White, Sunday school teacher and pumpkin patch coordinator for the BUMC. “It’s one of the biggest pumpkin patches in the area and the kids love it. We’ve had people come as kids and then bring their own kids when they grow up.”
Like most Methodist churches, the goal of the pumpkin patch is mission oriented, rooted in giving back to the community. In addition to the local charity efforts, Pumpkin USA provides over 500 jobs to the Zuni and Navajo Native American people of New Mexico, where the company grows over two million pumpkins annually.
White said the BUMC partners with Grey Gardens farms in Buda, which hosts the pumpkin patch every year.
“Grey Gardens has trees that are hundreds of years old, and its beautiful local allows us to decorate the patch into something special for families,” White said. “We have kids from Tobias Elementary visit us and we even have a school on Slaughter Lane in Austin stop by.”
At the Wimberley United Methodist Church (WUMC), residents can purchase pumpkins after hours through the honor system, where locals can drop off some cash in a bin for a pumpkin.
The Wimberley church sold over $13,000 in pumpkins last year, and proceeds from this patch go back to supporting the pre-school and other educational programs at the church.
Courtenay Kehl, family ministry director at WUMC, said the business of seller pumpkins is low risk, high reward, as the church makes money from commission off of the pumpkins they sell.
According to Pumpkins USA, the company’s farm operates on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Farmington, New Mexico and in partnership with the native population, grows approximately 1,200 acres of pumpkins.
Additionally, the harvesting season allows the company to employ over 700 Native Americans in a region where the unemployment rate is at 42 percent. Around $1.5 million in payroll is distributed to the Native American groups during the harvest.
“The money is one thing, but this is something families can enjoy together,” White said. “It gets everyone in the mood for the holiday season and it’s a great way to kick off Fall and the season of giving.”
