Morgan-Scott Project

Waiting to Pick Up Seeds & Plants

Putting Seeds in Bags

The Good Earth Program has been a part of Morgan-Scott Project since it’s beginning in 1972. We are a rural area where just about everyone has access to a small plot where they can plant a garden.  In the 1990’s when the economy was better and most families in the area had at least one person working, we kinda got in the habit of buying most of our food. But as more and more people started losing their jobs and most of the factories either moved overseas or shut down, we’ve been going back to planting gardens and preserving our own food.

Each year the number of people receiving vegetable seeds, fertilizer, potato seeds, onion sets, along with cabbage and tomato plants has grown.  In 2010 we were very pleased to have the funds and the volunteers to help 405 families.

In January we contacted a local green house and decided how many plants we would need.  In March we started taking applications. They came so fast it took one person just to answer the phone.

Some of our seeds are donated, the rest are bought in bulk and many volunteers sit around the break room table with a measuring spoon putting seeds in envelopes or Zip-lock bags and labeling them.  Next comes the really hard part. We buy the fertilizer and potatoes in 40 pound bags. Then we divide the bags in half. This is hard dirty, back-breaking work.  Now we are ready for the big day.

In 2010 with the help of the youth group from Erwin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, we gave out the seeds at the Grand Vista Motel in Scott County. The youth group from Spring City (TN)  United Methodist Church helped us distribute the plants at the Project Office in Morgan County.

We are very grateful to those individuals and churches that donated money:

Farragut (TN) Presbyterian Women; Deborah Circle, Concord United Methodist Church, Knoxville, TN; Women’s Guild, First United Church of Christ, Belvidere, TN; Women of the Church, Rivermont Presbyterian Church, Hixson, TN; Women’s Fellowship, Bethany Christian Church, Collierville, TN; Fairfield Glade (TN) Community Church; Presbytery of East Tennessee; Presbyterian Women, Second Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN; Lake Hills Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN; Erin Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN; Christian Women’s Fellowship, First Christian Church, Livingston, TN; Farragut (TN) United Methodist Women; Powell (TN) United Methodist Church; Ladies Day Circle, First United Church of Christ, Nashville, TN; Grace Church of Columbiana, OH; Pilgrim Congregational Church, Warren, NJ; First United Methodist, Knoxville, TN; and Presbyterian Women, Fountain City Presbyterian Church, Knoxville, TN;.

Many thanks to the youth groups from Big Springs Congregational  Church of Wisconsin Dells, WI and Mid Town Valley UMC of  Kingston, TN who helped with the seeds.

A great big, “Thank You” to Bonnie Plant Farms in Knoxville for the awesome cabbage plants, to Knoxville Seed Company for working with Morgan-Scott on the bulk seed, to Frentress Framers Co-op for the potato seed and fertilizer, and to Cole Farms Green House for the wonderful plants.

This is a wonderful program that makes a difference in the lives of many families, providing them not only with fresh vegetables, but with sunshine and exercise as well.  Thank you, for helping Morgan-Scott make this happen. 

Article by MSP Executive Director Ella Smith

MSP Treasurer Tamia Bible

The Morgan Scott Project completed the second quarter of 2010 with a positive change in net assets of $3,000, resulting from total receipts of $90,000 and total expenditures of $87,000.  (All numbers are rounded.) 

We are supported primarily by contributions from churches and individuals.  As of the end of the second quarter, churches accounted for 66% or two-thirds of our total receipts.  Individuals accounted for another 13%.  The remainder comes from grants and our thrift store, which we use to cover a portion of overhead.

We spent $52,000 on mission-related programs, of which $20,000 went to emergency aid such as utility bills and medicine. $14,000 helped individuals in the New Light educational program, which supports students in nursing and vocational programs.  Another $5,000 provided seeds and settings for home gardens.  The remainder covered primarily food boxes and home repairs.

Overhead was $35,000 and 41% of total expenditures.  However, as noted above, the proceeds from the thrift store are used to offset overhead expenses and currently are covering a little over a quarter of those expenses.  As a result, only 30 cents of every dollar goes to overhead, leaving 70 cents available for our missions.

We appreciate your continued support.

Article by MSP Treasurer Tamia Bible

Trailer - before

Trailer – After

Kitchen – After

Kitchen before

 Eleven year old Rose was about to be removed from the home of her loving parents.  Then three social service agencies, six churches, and many caring individuals decided to do something about it.  Some stories just make us proud to be supporters of Morgan-Scott Project.  This article is longer than most of the stories posted on this site, but it is a story that needs to be told:

Several months ago, family therapist Jessica Perkins contacted our Director, Ella Smith.  Her agency had been retained to counsel an 11 year old girl named Rose.  The Department of Children’s Services was considering removing Rose from her home and putting her in foster care.  The home was very dirty and infested with insects.  There had been no water in the home for six years, and the outhouse was in poor condition.  The parents had health problems and were unemployed, with a total income of only $8,000 per year.  However, the therapist could see that the girl had very loving parents who were doing the best they knew how under the circumstances.  She asked if Morgan-Scott could help with some home repairs and maybe get them some water.

Ella made a home visit with the therapist and agreed with her assessment that this was a loving family and agreed to do what she could to alleviate the situation, but the financial resources needed to do so were beyond the reach of our small organization – or so she thought.

Providence called in the form of a phone call from Nancy Vanderlan of Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge.  This organization oversees funding for the mentally and physically impaired in five Tennessee counties, including Morgan and Scott.  After some discussion, Ella invited Ms. Vanderlan to visit two homes in Scott and Morgan counties, including Rose’s home.  After these visits, she agreed that Morgan-Scott was doing work where it was really needed.

Emory Valley agreed to help with Rose’s home and two others in Scott County.    They paid $4000 toward the $7332 needed to get water and a septic system to Rose’s trailer home.  The remaining expense for the water and septic system was shared by the Presbyterian Women of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, MI, by the First Christian Church of Fairfield Glade, TN, by Colonial Park UCC in Harrisburg, PA, and by a private donation from a lady in Robbins, TN.  In addition, Colonial Park paid for new floor covering and for most of the cost of the decks.  Two ladies from Glen Mary, TN also contributed generously to the project.

Four different groups worked on Rose’s home:  St. John’s UCC from Coopersburg, PA scraped the paint from the outside.  The work done by Colonial Park UCC was amazing.  The following is an excerpt from their report:

“In the last week of July, twenty volunteers headed to Morgan-Scott Project, which serves the two poorest counties in Tennessee and has an unemployment rate of 20.6%.  We brought with us a truckload of donated household items: refrigerator, electric stove, several kitchen tables, hide-a-bed couches, armchairs, mattresses, etc.  For five days we worked from 7 am until 2 or 3 pm in rehabbing the trailer home of Daryl and Patricia.  What we did not understand is that the Department of Children’s Services was seriously considering removing their 11 year old daughter, Rose, from the home due to unhealthy conditions…

“The team quickly found the [parents] did not have good homecare skills, and their trailer was filled with the debris of everyday life…With the help of MSP Director Ella Smith, the [family] slowly made the tough decision to toss some of this out of the home.  By the end of the week nearly everything was removed and replaced from the donated items brought down by the team.  It was evident that even though the parents did not have the skill or knowledge to keep up their home, they loved their daughter and wanted to change their life.

“In the five days, the Colonial Park UCC mission team painted the trailer outside, built  a 12 x 12 back porch with a ramp, removed a ton of debris, removed old dirty carpet, gutted the kitchen, cleaned the entire inside, fixed the kitchen floor, painted the kitchen and Rose’s bedroom, built a 12 x 24 front deck, added a wood skirt to the trailer, laid floor laminate, purchased flooring for the entire trailer, purchased a new kitchen cabinet, counter and sink, stained the skirting and most of the rear porch, sealed and painted the trailer roof, and replaced their furniture…”

A group from United Evangelical Church in Baltimore, MD and St. John’s UCC in Cantonville, MD finished putting in the kitchen sink and the floor covering, finished the front deck and made sure all leaks were repaired.

Many Summer Work Groups visit Morgan-Scott Project each summer, but rarely do they get to see how much difference they make in the lives of the people they serve.  Again, from the Colonial Park UCC Report: 

“Some would ask ‘what good did that do?’  We learned on our last day that DCS, based on the work done to the home, would not remove Rose from the family.  The mother asked Ella to help her learn how to maintain their home.  Social Services will work with her on that training.  We were fortunate to actually see the fruits of our labor and to leave knowing one little girl will stay with her parents.  All praise to our God.”

It is hard to imagine how a family could let their living conditions get this bad.  However, when poverty is extended for a long period of time, whether from poor life decisions, poor health, or lack of jobs, all hope is eventually lost and people lose both their social skills and their life skills.  It is not unusual for such families to be afraid to ask for help for fear that their children will be taken from them.  How wonderful that social service organizations and churches are willing and able to help such families with emergency aid and training!

Of course, this story has not really ended.  Longer term, the parents of this family will need to learn how to maintain their home and hopefully they can eventually find employment to support themselves.  Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  This family has been spiritually impoverished for a long time.  Only our Creator can grant them the kingdom of heaven, but perhaps now there is a glimmer of hope thanks to the love of Christian friends.

Article by Ray Boles

Eagle Scout Chad Delp with MSP Director Ella Smith

Congratulations to Chad Delp!  Chad has been coming to Morgan-Scott for the past two years from St. John’s UCC in Cantonville, Maryland.  Chad chose Morgan-Scott for his Eagle Scout Project.

He made wooden boxes and set them outside of stores in Cantonville to collect tools, clothing, garden seeds, hoes, rakes, and non-perishable food items.  In March, Chad, along with his parents, four friends, and the supervisor of his Eagle Scout Project, brought two pick-up trucks and a trailer load of these tools and materials to Morgan-Scott.  On June 24, 2010, Chad passed his Eagle Scout Review.

Chad will be coming back to Morgan-Scott during the first week of August for his third year in a row.  He graduated from high School this spring and plans to do a year with AmeriCorps at Appalachia Habitat for Humanity in Robbins, Tennessee before entering college.

We are proud of Chad, and thankful to him as well, for his dedication to the people of this region.  He is truly making a difference in the world.

Article by Ella Smith

Group from Big Spring Congregational Church in Wisconsin Dells

In late March a work group of nine people from Big Spring Congregational Church in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin visited Morgan-Scott Project.  Led by Rev. David Bowman, this group built a ramp for Danny and Linda in Deer Lodge, TN.  Danny has cancer and was having a leg amputated at the knee the day the ramp was built.  This hard-working group also built a small ramp leading into the upper storage building of the Project and put a fresh coat of paint on the fence at the Project office.  Thanks to this wonderful group of Christians who took time to help their friends in Morgan County, Tennessee.

Article by Ella Smith

Senators Howard Baker and Nancy Kassebaum Baker with MSP Workgroup

A summer workgroup from Kansas received a special treat recently.  Former Tennessee Senator Howard Baker is from Scott County and attends Huntsville Presbyterian Church with his wife, Nancy Kassebaum Baker, who is the former senator from Kansas.  Morgan-Scott Executive Director Ella Smith called the Bakers and asked if they would go by the church and speak to the group.  Instead, Mrs. Baker called back and asked the group to dinner.

Senator Baker, known as the Great Conciliator, is one of the most respected politicians of our time, serving in the Senate from 1967 to 1985, as Chief of Staff to President Reagan in 1987-1988, and as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2001 to 2005.  Senator Kassebaum served in the Senate from 1978 to 1997 and was chair of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources for the 104^th Congress.  She is best known for her legislation on health care, cosponsoring an important health care bill with Senator Ted Kennedy.

This group spent a lovely evening at the Bakers, with Senator Baker showing the boys his antique car collection and Senator Kassebaum talking to the girls about careers in politics.  What better way to learn about the volunteer spirit than to spend an evening with two people who have dedicated their entire lives to public service!   Thank you, Senators, for inspiring a Morgan-Scott Project workgroup.

Article by Ella Smith and Ray Boles

Morgan-Scott Project is pleased to have youth work groups all summer from FAST (Faithful Advocates Serving Together), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.  These groups will include young people from United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ churches throughout the U.S.  This is in addition to the usual volunteer work groups that visit us each summer, so we expect to accomplish a lot this year.

The first group included 15 people from Northside Christian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, under the leadership of Rev. Frits Havenkamp, and six people from Carl Road Christian Church in Columbus, Ohio, led by Seth Stout.

This group placed underskirting around the trailer of a lady named Maeona, and painted and stained the wheelchair ramp and porches of a lady named Georgetta.  Both ladies are in their 70’s and live alone.  (Georgetta gives back to the community by hanging clothes at the MSP Thrift Store.)  In addition, this FAST group scraped, sanded, and painted the Gazebo in the Town Square of Deer Lodge, so the entire community benefited from their visit.

We appreciate the work of these young people who are dedicated to making a difference in the world.

Article by Ray Boles

Left to right: Robin Sparkman, Tracy Smith, MSP Executive Director Ella Smith

Each year the Farm Bureau Insurance Office in Morgan County has a food drive for a local charity to celebrate all of the good foods produced by the farms they represent.  This year, they chose the Food Bank at Morgan-Scott Project as the recipient of the food collected.

We sincerely thank Farm Bureau for supporting Morgan-Scott in their efforts to provide food for those in need.

Article by Ella Smith

This year’s home repair program got off to an early start with a visit by nine college students from the University of Illinois at Chicago on March 21.  This wonderful group represented eight countries.  Only one girl was from the U.S. and only two were from the same country.  All spoke fluent English, and all were hard workers.

They began by helping an elderly gentleman named Wally from Winfield, who is confined to his bed and relies on home health care.  They built him a back porch, and then cleaned up his yard, tearing down an old building in the process.  The next day they built a wheelchair ramp for Artie of Helenwood. After a free day visit to Nashville, they returned to help one of our local volunteers tear down a building and clean up a yard for an elderly lady.  Finally, they spent a day at the MSP office, cleaning out the upper storage building.

The Morgan-Scott community sincerely appreciates these young people who use their energy and resources to help the less fortunate of our community.

Article by Ella Smith and Ray Boles

Mrs. Mary Anne Ogilvie

Morgan-Scott Project recently received a gift of $750 from Gurnee Community Chapel in Gurnee, Illinois, in memory of Mrs. Mary Anne Ogilvie who passed away on July 11, 2009.  Mrs. Ogilvie found a unique way of supporting one of her favorite charities while serving as a member of the mission committee of that church.  While suffering from macular degeneration, Mrs. Ogilvie knitted and crocheted hats, scarves and beautiful afghans, which she donated to fund raisers.  Some of the proceeds of these fund raisers were used to buy seeds for the Morgan-Scott Good Earth program.

We are thankful for Mrs. Ogilvie for her support and to her friends at Gurnee Community Chapel who remembered her with their gifts.  It is volunteers like these who sustain the work of Morgan-Scott Project.

Article by Ray Boles