Alabama man plants seeds of hope by helping homeless create gardens

In these tough economic times, it’s hard for people with jobs to make ends meet, but people who live on the street are impacted a hundred times more. An Alabama man is using his green thumb to not only provide food for the homeless, but empower them as well.

Rusty Loiselle isn't someone that spends his days in soup kitchens or managing programs to get the homeless off the streets. He’s just a man who saw an opportunity to do some good for people. When Loiselle realized that camps of homeless people were being built in Hunstville and that many of those people were struggling for food, he loaded up his truck with seeds, tools and saplings and headed to the camps.

Often the homeless survive on donations and the charity of others, but when people can’t keep food on their own table, it’s hard to find extra to give away. Also, when they do have money, he didn't want them having to spend it on overpriced foods at the grocery store. Loiselle’s goal was to show these people a way to grow healthy food, and possibly even empower them.

It’s easy to give up and feel that you have no control in your life when bad things happen. Self-esteem drops and you come to believe that nothing is going to get better. By providing these people with a purpose and the responsibility to grow their own food, Loiselle is giving them a sense of pride and hope.

What starts as a simple garden may spur someone to get help for an addiction, apply for a job or swallow their pride and call a family member. Hope is a glorious thing and it can elevate you no matter how far down you can go. In Alabama, a seed has been planted and vegetables aren’t the only things that will grow. 

Photo courtesy of Happy News