October means Pumpkins

On October 27, 2023, Hope House Montgomery and Hopes Ministry teamed up to take students from our tutoring programs to the pumpkin patch. I found a free pumpkin patch at Trinity United Methodist Church in Prattville, Alabama. 

When we asked the families about allowing their kids to attend - we received a resounding “YES.” We were thrilled that most of our parents and extended family joined us. The families could drive to the pumpkin patch or ride a bus provided by Mr. Keith Cantrell and his wife, Mrs. Angela Cantrell. On our bus ride, we got comfortable playing games, sleeping, and taking pictures. Riding together to a new place creates such anticipation.

When we got to the pumpkin patch, I announced, “We will buy one pumpkin for each kid. It doesn’t matter what size, as long as you can carry it.”

The kids had fun with this information. They ran off the bus and went looking for the most giant pumpkins that they could find. Thankfully, some parents convinced their children to pick pumpkins that required less effort. It was nice hearing all the laughter and seeing the smiles on everybody’s faces. The kids were running, playing tag, using wagons to push each other around, and enjoying a beautiful fall afternoon. 

The ladies at the Trinity United Methodist Church were lovely and kind to calculate the prices of thirty pumpkins! We got some chaotic group pictures before we left to get some dinner. Everyone beamed, holding their prize pumpkin as you can see.

We chose to eat at McDonald’s as what young kid doesn’t love McDonalds? Hope House Montgomery is so thankful for Mr. Trey Rogers (Mr. Cantrell’s friend) because this McDonald’s owner provided free adult meals to our children! With this gesture, the parents could have a free meal provided by HHM. 

After our family dinner, we took the remaining families home. We are so thankful to everyone who helped give or participate in this excursion with us. We are looking forward to doing more trips in the future. 

As always, I want to leave us with thinking about how we can be a good neighbor.