The cloudy skies and forecasts of rain did not deter volunteers and staff at Metropolitan Ministries from their annual Good Friday planting.
Kids shoveled piles of dirt into white plastic buckets and brightly painted wood planters. Women weeded and pulled out last season’s turnips from the garden. And the act of planting seeds on the weekend of this religious holiday is tied to more than the farmer’s almanac and good luck – it’s spiritual, according to Metropolitan Ministries Executive Director Rebecca Whelchel.
“For us as believers it’s a symbol of the Resurrection,” Whelchel said. “We pull the dead out and plant the seeds.”
Metropolitan Ministries is a nonprofit organization that works to help prevent homelessness, and its simple, no-fluff office is located in Highland Park on McCallie Avenue. The ministry seasonally plants fruits and vegetables to offer to anyone living in the area.
Marty Roberts, a regular volunteer at Metropolitan Ministries, said planting the garden is a gift to the entire neighborhood.