KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Off Bruhin Road in Knoxville, 19 refugee families are feeding themselves this week because of the generosity of a local pastor.
Often, refugees face hardships upon arrival in the states as they try to apply for social services, and jobs, buy food and adjust to American society.
There are a few organizations that play a crucial role in lifting that burden. Bridge Refugee Services in Knoxville helps many refugees get plugged in with services, Sodela works to empower new Americans in Knoxville and Beardsley Farms partners with those programs to help refugees plant crops that are native to them. However, as all these programs expand, and the number of refugees grows, more help is needed. That's where Pastor Russ Owens comes in.
"They asked if we would be interested in allowing some refugees to use some land to help feed families," Owens said.
He is the pastor of Epperson Ministries, which helps individuals find work opportunities, walk through addiction recovery and restore broken families. However, it also recently added refugee services to its ministry.
"I just said, 'Yes,'" Owens said. "And after I said yes, there are 19-plus families that are able to be fed, which is an absolute blessing."
Egide Irambona, the vice president of Sodela, said it's an offer that came at a vital time.
"Our people have been getting struggling to get their needs met like food and getting services," Irambona said. "By a blessing, we met this pastor who said we can use his land to have whatever we plant."
It did not take long for the majority of the 4-acre lot to be covered in the crop. Nineteen families cultivated rows of corn and plantains.
Ndarurinze Prosper, a chairman and treasurer for Sodela, exemplified what kind of hard work it takes to sow all these seeds. He said refugees come out to the farm for several hours in the morning and afternoon.
"It's all day, and it's great exercise," Prosper said.
He shared his mother and father used to farm this way, and so did he when he was a young boy. Prosper is a refugee from Burundi, much like the other refugees harvesting the land.
"Most are from Burundi, East Africa, Congo, Tanzania and Rwanda," Irambona said.
He said one of the hardest parts about being a refugee is the language barrier.
"You do not speak the language. How can you survive? You need to meet someone to help you," he said.
Owens has done that. He gave his 4 acres at Epperson Ministries and another 35 acres to Johnson University. He's also been fronting the water bill for all the irrigation demands.
"We just offer up our homes, our land, our community, and we say, 'Here it is,'" Owens said.
The folks from Sodela said they're very thankful for the generosity.
If you wish to assist Epperson Ministries with the cost of the water bill, you can do so here.