Eliah Deeds and Everlee Harter have turned the family’s garden into a summer project to grow fresh vegetables and to help those less fortunate. The Board of School Trustees recognized them for their giving hearts and kindness.
Eliah, who is 11, and Everlee who is 8, both New Haven Intermediate students know that their mom works in a hospital,” as an Inpatient Staff Clinician. They know she works with people that struggle, not physically, but from the mental side of things and that sparked a conversation about wanting to help the homeless and less fortunate people. So, they just decided one day, they have a lot of extra stuff in their garden and asked their mom to take it into work to raise money for people who need it “
So, Ms. Harter has a little cart at work,” and it’s stocked with extra produce that they have, and people take what they want and leave a donation into a little bin.
“At the end of the season, they took the money collected and to go shopping to purchase coats, pants, and long sleeve shirts for men and women.
Those items are then distributed to Parkview Behavioral Health patients anonymously throughout the year. In the first two years, the family collected over $1,200 for the project.
The Harter’s garden is thriving this year.
Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and other delights are ready to be picked, and the kids can’t wait to get to work.
Everlee loves to be a little helper. She enjoys planting and digging the holes.”
Eliah likes to say It’s ready. It’s ready!”
The garden project has allowed Ms. Harter to teach her kids valuable lessons about kindness, hard work and helping others.
They’re counting the money. They’re spending the money, and they’re the ones paying for the items. It just goes to show anything small can turn into something big.
These two are constantly thinking about what they can do for those that are less fortunate.” Eliah said to “Love your neighbor as yourself, “and helping out the less fortunate because sometimes it’s just what you gotta do. It’s the way God helps people through you.”
Recently, Eliah and Everlee were highlighted on WANE 15 Positively Fort Wayne for their kind gestures. The motto is Living by Giving… E & E!