INEZ — The Martin County Family Resource and Youth Service Centers are “planting seeds of hope” in the community.

After servicing students and their families, the FRYSC gave the community surplus gardening supplies last week at the Inez Freewill Baptist Church shelter.

FRYSC created the program “Planting Seeds of Hope” during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Schools were shut down and the future was uncertain,” Martin County Middle School Youth Service Center coordinator Kara Beth Marcum said. “Our usual way of connecting with families and providing for our students had become a challenge. We decided to get back to our roots by encouraging our students and families to take interest in gardening with hopes for them to become more self-sufficient in a world that changes day by day — by providing plants, seeds, soil, gloves, tools and even jars for canning their crops.”

Marcum said this encouraged students to get outside with parents and grandparents and momentarily take their minds off what was happening around them.

Fast forward three years, and “Martin County, Planting Seeds of Hope” has continued to grow and be one of FRYSC’s most anticipated programs for students and families.

“This year, we provided over 80 families with gardening supplies,” said Marcum. “Our gardeners communicate through a Facebook group with farm-to-table pictures, stories and tips for one another.”