If you’ve not yet purchased your pumpkins the fall, there is one place you can purchase your pumpkin, give back to the community and help students get an education. 

For the past 16 years, local families, students and people from surrounding towns have been attending the pumpkin patch at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, located at 7702 Indiana Ave. This year, they’re seeing record numbers.

“As of Sunday, for the first week, we believe that  we’ve had around 2,000 people show up at the patch, so that’s really cool. We have $15,000 in pumpkin sales in the first week. It’s pretty crazy, it’s amazing,” said Nathaniel Mathews, senior pastor of Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

With numbers like these, the church reaches many children, families and students.

The Navajo Indian Reservation donates the pumpkins to the church, Mathews said. In return, 60 percent of the proceeds are donated back to the reservation for education programs.

Another 40 percent goes toward outreach in the community and abroad, Mathews said.

“We help with things like the Texas Boys Ranch and we help with Open Door and Family Promise, food pantry, food baskets, we do all those kinds of things. So, it’s really a neat way for the community to be involved and know that you’re helping just by coming and participating in the pumpkin patch,” said Mathews.

Through the purchase of a pumpkin, a bit of goodness and kindness is spread throughout the community. And, the goal is for that to continue. 

“Obviously you can get pumpkins cheaper elsewhere, and so we are honest,” Mathews said. “We tell people the prices are what they are, and this is what they’re for. And you have people who say, ‘We understand that and we want to help out.'”

This pastor and congregation are simply thrilled to provide a way for families to come together. They are committed to being a part of a world-changing effort, one pumpkin a time. 

“So one of the principles we live by is that we share God’s love with the world that God loves. We believe that God loves the entire world, so we like to share that with everyone,” Mathews shared.

This community outreach program is impacting so many in such a positive way, but it’s their continued partnership with the Navajo Indian Reservation that keeps this effort going year after year.

The pumpkin patch is open weekdays from 2 p.m. to dusk. On Saturdays from 9 a.m. to dusk, and Sundays from noon to dusk. There is no charge to attend and take pictures.