What is now the Garden of Blessings at St. Paul's in Patchogue (affectionately nicknamed "Peas Be With You") began the way so many good things do at St. Paul's: with a handful of parishioners deciding simply to make a garden. From that small, organic start, the garden has grown into a steady source of fresh produce for the parish's outreach ministries, supplying fruits and vegetables to both the weekly Soup Kitchen, which serves a hot meal every Monday, and the Food Pantry, open twice a week to anyone who walks through the door.
The garden continues to rely on partnerships with the Patchogue Community Garden, Long Island Cares, and Island Harvest to supplement what it grows on-site, and parishioners describe the joy on clients' faces when fresh produce, even something as simple as a peach, appears among the pantry offerings for families who otherwise go without it for long stretches. As the garden matures, St. Paul's is working to expand what it can grow and distribute year-round, while also envisioning the space as a place of quiet reflection: benches, a stations-of-the-cross walk, and room for volunteers of all ages to tend the soil, pray, and simply enjoy the beauty of what the parish calls "our Island home."