Parishioners don’t mind at all that First United Methodist Church at 118 King Street in St. Augustine is known as the “pumpkin church.” Each year near the beginning of October a full semi-truck of pumpkins is unloaded and artfully displayed on the lawn. This year, volunteers unloaded 2,512 pumpkins.
It’s a fundraiser for the church’s children’s programs and youth ministry.
“Funds are split between the two and makes up the majority of the budget ― at least 80%,” Jayce Ginn, youth director, said. “The fundraiser supports Sunday night dinners, mission trips, community service projects, trunk or treat events and vacation Bible school, among others.”
The church orders the fall squash from Pumpkins USA, a company that started with one patch in North Carolina supplying pumpkins to one church. The idea caught on and business was expanding until Hurricane Hugo destroyed a crop. The company moved farming operations to a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico, a region with 42% unemployment. The 1,200-acre farm employs more than 700 Native Americans and supplies pumpkins to more than 1,000 organizations for fundraising projects.
“We usually sell out near the end of the month,” Ginn said. “We’re on track to sell out; maybe a little faster than usual.”
