Seeds of Hope Wilson has a new executive director.

Jim Howard, a retired Wilson County sheriff’s deputy who’s been in law enforcement for 28 years, is the nonprofit’s new leader. 

“I got personally involved with Seeds of Hope a couple of years ago when my wife joined the board,” Howard said. “We would volunteer at events that Seeds of Hope had.”

Jim and Alison Howard attended the “Family Feud” fundraising night and potluck dinners at Vick Elementary School.

“It was good fellowship,” Howard said. “Just coming out on weekends and helping with Seeds of Hope, it just became more important to be a part of it.”

Howard’s daughter, Emily, painted the mural on the side of the Seeds of Hope House at 906 Viola St. 

“It has been a family effort,” Howard said.

Seeds of Hope originated through Winstead United Methodist Church partnering with Vick Elementary School to promote student achievement and well-being. With the help of financial supporters like BB&T and a group of volunteers, the nonprofit established a community teaching garden directly across the street from the school. 

The Seeds of Hope Community Garden has 18 boxes assigned to each Vick classroom. The garden has other spaces where community members come in to volunteer their time cultivating fruits and vegetables that serve as added educational areas, supplementing the agency’s overall mission of showing children where their food comes from.

RELATED COVERAGE: Seeds of Hope garden gets early start with seeds 

The Seeds of Hope House has a Hispanic ministry initiative funded by a grant from the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church Mission See Funds. The house also serves as a community center for the surrounding neighborhood.

Howard is taking over for Priscilla Morello, foudning director of the nonprofit incorporated in 2014. 

“We are very excited that Jim is coming on board,” Morello said. “His wife, Alison, is on the board and they are wonderful folks. He’s going to be great.”

Morello said she’ll still volunteer at Seeds of Hope and will coordinate the farmers market there in the spring.

Howard said his first order of business will be to build support for Seeds of Hope Wilson.

“I think what they need right now — and this is really important — we’re going to be looking for funding. My main goal right now is to get Seeds of Hope financially sound,” Howard said. “I’m going to go to civic organizations here in Wilson, and I am going to be looking at grants that I will be looking at and applying for. Some grants that we have applied for in the past, we are going to reapply for them.”

Howard wants to brand Seeds of Hope as “a must” for Wilson.

“We have a small plot here, but just look at what’s going on. It is absolutely amazing,” Howard said. “Even though this is a small plot of land, there is a lot of food here, and it is important that people know where their food comes from.”

Before the pandemic, students would walk the short distance to the garden and have hands-on time planting, observing, harvesting and sharing in the joy of eating the things they grew in their plots. 

“Sadly ,when the pandemic happened in March and everyone went to virtual learning, this was on a standstill,” Howard said. “This project is too important to let it go by the wayside. The good thing about Seeds of Hope is that it is a community project. We have a Latino community, and we have people just from the neighborhood who help out. There is a good thing going on here.”

To support Seeds of Hope, call Howard at 252-469-3823 or email him at jshowardiv@yahoo.com. For more information, visit www.seedsofhopewilsonnc.org.