Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch

2024 Pumpkin Patch

For those of you who are new to SUMC, we sell pumpkins from our front lawn the whole month of October. It takes many people to make this the success it has been. This our biggest annual fundraiser, averaging over $5,100 for the month in profit.

Heading up our Pumpkin Patch is our very own “Pumpkin Queen,” Diane Bartley. Diane will be holding three meetings over the next couple weeks to introduce everyone to the ins and outs of the Patch, as well as new areas of opportunities to volunteer. We hope to see everyone at one of the meetings. The meetings will be held between services at 10:00 am on September 8th and 15th. If you are unable to make it to one of those times, there will also be an evening meeting at 6:30 pm on September 9th in the Simpson Room. Look for the decorated pumpkin table!

Before the Pumpkin Patch opens, there will be two important dates that need lots of people power.

Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to do any heavy lifting, there are many other ways you can help.

This will be our 23rd year hosting the SUMC Pumpkin Patch. With your help, this could be the best one yet!

History

In 1989, after Hurricane Hugo, Pumpkins USA contracted the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico to grow pumpkins. This fundraising event not only helps our church, but the Navajo Indians as well. You can learn more about this mission at pumpkinsusa.com. More importantly, it's another wonderful way for us to reach out to the community.

In 2002, our church's youth group, TGIF, headed up the project to help fund their activities. Later, the responsibility was passed on to the entire church, and now all members pitch in to unload the truck and work shifts to sell pumpkins.

Our pumpkin-covered lawn is a beautiful sight to see and photograph. We have countless village visitors and neighbors pose to take pictures with this fun back-drop. We’ve even had wedding parties stop by for photos.

The Pumpkin Patch is open for business seven days a week throughout the month of October from 10:00 am until dusk. Volunteers are always needed and welcome to help out with the patch. Please contact us for more information.

Check out all the photos from past patches in our Media Gallery.

More Than Just A Fundraiser

Pumpkin Patch Fundraisers began 31 years ago. A farmer with some pumpkins (Richard Hamby) met a minister with a need for funds. The farmer agreed to let the church sell the pumpkins, and they would share the proceeds. There was no contract, no legal proceedings, just a handshake and trust in each other. Thirty-one years later, while the minister has moved on and the congregation has changed, that church is still doing a Pumpkin Patch every October to fund their goals.

Their success and loyalty allowed the company to offer the project to more churches. This partnership has been the key element in their growth. Today, the pumpkin patch family of churches and other non-profit organizations is made up of over 1,300 locations, over 30 denominations in 48 states, and is still growing. In 2005, their partners netted $3.6 million. Sewickley UMC makes an average of $5,000 a year on $15,000 total sales.

After Hurricane Hugo destroyed their crops in 1989, they contracted with Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) to grow pumpkins. They lease over 2,000 acres on the Navajo Reservation, growing 28 varieties of pumpkins, gourds, and corn, and employing over 1,000 Native Americans during the harvest season.

Latest Pumpkin Patch News

An Interview with the Original Pumpkin Queen

How did the pumpkin patch get started?

The youth group received a video in the mail. Denise Gates and I watched the video with the youth group, and I looked at her and said, “We can do this,” with the church’s blessing or Council’s approval. We went to council; they approved it. They said they would help us however they could. So the first year was strictly a youth fundraiser, and we were amazed with what we did. It was very, very exciting.

I said to Denise, “We can do this, but I’m a little leery. Pumpkins out on the corner of the street? They’ll never last in Sewickley.” I called the guy, and I said, “We’re right on the main drag of Sewickley—right on the corner. I’d be so afraid of theft.” He said, “Lou Ann, it’s an act of faith.” He said, “We don’t care. You don’t pay for a pumpkin until you sell a pumpkin.” It was a win–win for us.

And have you ever had problems with theft?

It was funny, because one day I was inside counting the money from the day’s sales, and my sister-in-law drove past the church and said, “There’s someone out there stealing pumpkins and putting them in their trunk!” I ran out, and of course I didn’t catch them, and I thought, you know, if they need the pumpkin that bad, let them have it.

On a happier note, there was a time when Denise and I went out on the front steps of the church one Saturday morning, opened the pumpkin patch, and she went, “Oh my goodness!” She looked down and under our sample pumpkin on the steps was a twenty dollar bill. Somebody had come during the night, bought a pumpkin, and left us the money.

One time, I know we had a pumpkin smashed on Russel’s sidewalk, and I think there have been occasions where a few have been smashed on the street.

So originally, the youth were running the patch as a fundraiser?

I’d say there were probably ten to twelve youth in the group at the time. After school and on weekends, they were here, and we required them to be here, because it was benefitting them. We hired busses to go on our retreats. Of course, we had an in with the company, because Denise’s brother-in-law drove for the company, so we got a discount, but we had busses. We went to Geauga Lake one year, from our proceeds.

We made three or four thousand dollars the first year. I think the church was amazed. We set a goal of $2,000, and we surpassed that in, like, the first week, and we were, like, “Oh my gosh! Look at this.” We were doing great. We did one fun trip, and that was to Geauga Lake, and then we did lots of retreats. We went to all three camps. We went to Wesley Woods, Jumonville, Camp Allegheny, and most of that came out of our proceeds from the Pumpkin Patch.

Did you take a second shipment of pumpkins the first year?

Yes, and I fought the guy. I fought the guy! I said, “No, we have lots of pumpkins.” He said, “Lou Ann, you need more pumpkins. I can tell from your sales, you need more pumpkins.” I said, “No, we have plenty. We’re going to have so many left over.” And he said, “Trust me.” They sent them, and we sold them. It’s amazing, the pumpkins that you sell the last week of October. It’s amazing!

As I recall, the church took over the patch when the youth group had a lull in membership and could no longer handle it. There was a fair bit of money in the group’s account from past sales. It was probably four years with the youth, and then the church took over. A lot of the money was donated back to the church, and one of the camps was building a new kitchen. Allegheny. We donated to them.

You’ve been in charge of the patch for all but two or three years, when Diane Lally ran it. It must be a lot of work.

I don’t mind it. I know what to do. It’s just getting the people to work the patch. That’s the hardest part. And unloading the truck. I won’t tell you how many pumpkins we’re getting, ’cause I was like, “Oh no!”

This is my pumpkin bible. I read a note in here that Diane had sent to Pumpkins USA saying that our lawn could not accommodate more than 1,400 pumpkins, and we’re getting more than that. So, I’ll have to wear my sandals, so I can count with my toes. I’m very excited though. I just can’t wait. When that truck pulls up, I’m just like, “It’s here! It’s here!”

The other biggest job is rolling the pumpkins. They have to be rolled every other night. Pumpkins USA calls it putting them to sleep, but I call it rolling, because it’s every other night. On Tuesday nights, the Tuesdays that they need to be rolled, the youth are going to help. Even if someone can come and just roll one section of the lawn, that’s better than not rolling at all.

In the past, we’ve had help unloading from the community. Are any groups participating this year?

Robert Morris is coming. They’re sending about fifteen students over. They’re required to do so much community service, I guess, to even graduate, so they’re sending fifteen over; I think seventeen, because Martha Boward said her daughter will be there. We feed them, that’s always an enticement. And I think Quaker Valley Key Club is sending some kids too. Now on the fifteenth, Robert Morris is also planning on sending us some students, but that’s Quaker Valley’s homecoming. That’s the second shipment, on the fifteenth, and that’s not until 1:00 pm.

Diane Bartley is actually planning on doing some things with pumpkins this year. She’s going to do some pumpkin decorating for the kids, and we’re going to have a Kodak moment somewhere that people can bring their kids and take pictures. We’re trying to expand it a little bit.

Do you have any particularly fond memories of working the patch?

We’ve had brides come to the pumpkin patch and get their pictures taken. We had this limo pull up one day. Denise and I were out front, and we went, “What's going on? There’s no wedding today, is there?” And (the bride) said, “We just want to get our picture taken at the pumpkin patch.” “Oh! Welcome!” If anyone wants to have a wedding in October, they have to be aware that the pumpkin patch is scheduled.

It’s fun. It all works out in the end. It’s amazing to me that you can go to Walmart and buy a pumpkin for $4.99, and we sell $15,000 worth of pumpkins here. I’m anxious to see, with the economy, how we do this year.

I used to hate halloween. I really did! And then the haunted house started, and that’s so much fun, and then the pumpkin patch. It was like, “Oh my goodness!” I consider myself the pumpkin queen.