ST. GEORGE —A new nonprofit is giving community outreach a whole new meaning by building the area’s first-ever giving garden, which will provide fresh produce to families in need.

When Matthew Reid, president and founder of Desert Ministries, saw the void between local resources and families living in poverty, he aimed to bridge the gap with his own nonprofit organization. The established 501(c)3 is now an umbrella for a variety of community outreach services, including after-school tutoring programs and providing needed items such as clothing and food.

“It’s clear when somebody needs assistance,” Reid said. “We always have those feelers out in the community, so when we hear about, ‘So and so doesn’t have the lights on in their house,’ OK, we’ll pay their utility bill. Or, ‘This kid doesn’t have a winter coat,’ those types of things.”

While Desert Ministries became an official nonprofit eight months ago, they have an even bigger project in the works. Together with volunteers Darrin Gobble, Bre Caso and Katie Marascio, also known as the “Sunday labor group,” Reid said they’re building a community garden, known as the Zion Giving Garden, completely from scratch with donated items.

“What I appreciate about working together is this concept of horizontal leadership,” volunteer Marascio said about working with Desert Ministries. “We play to each other’s strengths. It’s not necessarily hierarchical, but we collectively get so much done with the team effort.”

Reid said the idea for Zion Giving Garden sparked when he noticed a gap in available resources, which provided low-income families pre-packaged items such as noodles and rice, with no options for off-the-vine or from-the-dirt items like tomatoes and onions.

“The garden kind of just happened on its own,” Reid said. “The four of us had a similar mindset and vision of something that just needed to exist, and we’ve just been plugging away to fill this void – the basis being that everybody should have access to produce.”

What was once an “ugly” empty lot in overgrown by weeds and trees in Hurricane, is currently being renovated to build the garden. Reid said the land is owned by the Diocese Church of Salt Lake City, which happily agreed to let the nonprofit use the land for charity purposes.

“Through the process of mostly donated materials, we’re clearing the space we’re growing on, creating raised beds, getting the irrigation, everything planned from an empty lot,” Marascio said. “We’ve been able to see it literally grow already.” 

In March 2021, Desert Ministries threw a “garden party,” which Reid said was a celebration of the farm concept. They plan to hold the garden party annually, which will be both a fundraising event and an opportunity to build community awareness that the garden exists.

Much like Desert Ministries, Zion Giving Garden is in the developmental stage, and Marascio said they are now a few months away from planting crops. Once the plants produce fruit, they said they plan to supply produce to low-income families in the Hurricane, Rockville Springdale and Virgin areas, and expand as they grow.

“The idea is to have a sort of free farm share that would allow families to sign up to assist in the garden with harvesting and other things and in return would have access to fresh produce that is produced,” Reid said.

With a background in labor and farm work, volunteer Caso said she’s loved watching the garden’s progress. In addition to the garden itself, pads are being placed for both the patio and the water tank. Zion Adventure Company also donated a shed that will be placed on the property.

Larger donations for the Zion Giving Garden include soil from the Spinner Family Charitable Foundation. Locally, the Hurricane Valley Rotary Club will put in the irrigation system and Tree Utah, along with the rotary club will be donating trees. 

Reid said the garden project has been a communal effort and shared his gratitude for the outpouring of both items and monetary donations that have made it possible. Desert Ministries relies solely on donations, which are tax-deductible.

Donations can be made through the following links: any time through Venmo or PayPal Giving Fund, or the Nov. 15 – Dec. 15 through the SeedMoney fundraiser. Donations made via check can be sent to P.O. Box 61, Hurricane, Utah 84737.

For more information on Desert Ministries and the Zion Giving Garden, visit them on Instagram. For questions or to sign up as a volunteer, email.

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