Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in West Windsor launched the Peace Garden ministry, the result of an adult education series hosted at the church focusing on food insecurity in the U.S. The garden was planted with the contributions of many volunteers and was financially supported by the church congregation and grants from Thrivent Lutheran Financial and Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey.
The garden, located on the church property, was planted under the direction of Nancy Nicosia, a master gardener. The 1,800-square-foot garden is guarded by a deer proof fence and surrounded by deer and rabbit proof perennials. The 10 rows of fresh vegetables include tomatoes, peppers, okra, collard greens, swiss chard, melons, a variety of fresh herbs, and more. The church recently donated its first harvest to Crisis Ministries through www.yeswecanfooddrive.org.
“The garden is a terrific way to introduce children to social justice,” says Patty Schoppe, a Plainsboro resident who works in the garden with her daughter, Ella.
Schoppe first heard about the garden through the church announcements. “Ella saw the signup sheet and asked if she could volunteer her time in the garden with me,” she says.
Ella is a rising fourth grade student at Millstone River School. She participates in classes for tennis, gymnastics, and swimming. At church she is involved in the children’s choir, Sunday school, and various community service projects.
“I commend Patty for encouraging her and supporting Ella’s natural instincts that are so thoughtful, loving, and caring,” says Brandi Herbert, a West Windsor resident and Ella’s Sunday school teacher. “Ella sets a wonderful example of a caring child who is committed to social justice and the ministries of the church like the Peace Garden. Both inside the classroom and out, she lives her faith with true commitment and real authenticity. She is a wonderful example, not only to the children in our community, but adults too.”
Ella was recently presented with a certificate honoring her stewardship commitment to the church. She brought an envelope with her own monies every week to church this past year and put it in the giving plate. “The Sunday school team will help her pick a mission of her choice that her monies will be sent to, possibly the Peace Garden or she could chose another mission like the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Clean Water Initiative or ELCA’s fight against malaria worldwide,” says Herbert. “It is just another example of Ella’s dedication to helping others.”
Patty was born and raised on Long Island, New York, in West Islip, where she began gardening as a child. “My family always had a large garden with various fruits and vegetables,” she says. After the family moved to Plainsboro in 2007, her father planted a tomato garden and her husband, Jon, planted a wild flower garden.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers College, and a master’s degree in computer science from Stevens Institute of Technology. She works from home for IBM. “The hours are flexed through the week to meet my son’s medical and therapy needs,” she says.
Her husband, Jon, was born and raised in Point Pleasant. He received an associate degree in liberal arts from Thomas Edison State College and is director of operations for Dial Pest Control.
Their son, Jonathan Thomas, 5, known as JT, has multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, and Peters anomaly, a visual impairment. He attends kindergarten at Academy Learning Center, a special needs school in Monroe. His therapy includes Hippotherapy, a form of physical, occupational, and speech therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor and sensory input, at Special Strides, a therapeutic riding farm in Monroe.
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church welcomes the community to participate in the new ministry. Families and small children are welcome this summer as the Peace Garden begins its Family Harvest Saturdays. Families can assist in the harvest and maintenance of the garden. During the harvest season, all produce will be donated to Crisis Ministries to provide fresh, nutritious options to Mercer County families in need. E-mail garden@popnj.org for information on dates, times, and opportunities.
