Year In Review: 2023
In 2023, we celebrated five years of ministry and shared God’s love with several hundred people across nine counties in North and Central Florida. We held our largest Festival to date with over 200 attendees, gave away over 385 lbs. of fresh produce from our community garden, started a monthly mobile food pantry and provided backpacks to over 240 children. Last year was full of God’s blessings, but we believe He is going to do even more in 2024!
On August 3, we held a groundbreaking ceremony for our Educational Facility! This new building will be around 2,500 sq. ft. and provide much needed classroom space and restrooms. The open floor plan design will accommodate 40-50 students engaged in hands-on learning. It will be equipped with a kitchen to teach youth and families how to prepare healthy meals. We are continuing to raise funds to complete the project through grants, monetary, and in-kind donations.
Backpacks & Blessings was a new event providing over 240 students from Alachua, Gilchrist, and Union counties with backpacks, school supplies, and Bibles. Children and their families also enjoyed games and a free lunch! The event will be held again in August.
In November, we hosted our first Mobile Food Pantry in partnership with Bread of the Mighty. Together we are helping feed several hundred individuals in our community. We will continue to offer free food once a month for families in need. Visit our website or social media pages for future dates and times.
Our community garden, created in the fall of 2020, continues to bless local youth and families living at or below the poverty line in the middle of a food desert. In 2023, we grew and donated over 385 pounds of various cool and warm season crops to foster healthy living and help those in need. To date, we have grown and given away over 1,315 pounds of produce! A few of the crops include broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, kale, lettuce, onion, peppers, squash, and strawberries!
We are extremely grateful for the 95+ volunteers who logged over 2,300 volunteer hours in 2023 cultivating the garden, helping with special events, maintaining the property, and building various projects to improve the facility. Supporters gave generously of their time, talent, and resources, but most importantly, continued to pray for our ministry and the work God is doing in our community. PLFM remains 100% volunteer-led and operated. Our desire is for every dollar received to go directly to our programs benefiting the families we serve.
PLFM’s annual Faith & Family Ag Festival was made possible through donations, sponsorships, and grants from generous individuals and businesses. Over 200 people attended and enjoyed learning about agriculture in a safe, fun, family-friendly setting. We shared God’s love as we provided lunch and gave away prizes to everyone! To see video highlights of our Festivals, visit: Youtube.com/@PromisedLandFM. This annual event will be held again in April.
God has exciting plans for PLFM in 2024! We would love for you to partner with us this year! If you are interested in getting involved in any of these areas, contact Rebecca Hall at RHall@PromisedLandFM.org.