My family and I wanted to stop, take time to give the lord thanks and to share our testimony with anyone it may help. We can start a few months ago even though it goes as far back as a year. My family and I were up against one of our biggest obstacles. The company I had worked for ended up shutting down due to some State issues, and leaving all employees including myself in a frenzy. This eventually led to lack of income in our household for a short period of time, and we unfortunately fell behind about a month and half before having a flowing income again. That ended up leading to rent and a few other things being paid late. Cutting to the point, at the most needed time in our lives we didn't have anyone to call on or reach out to for help, even when we did it felt all doors were closed and what felt like no one in the world was there to save us. We did what we knew best and started praying to God asking for guidance and to lead us into the right direction to get our family out of this predicament. After so many denials we felt so discouraged and started losing faith because the more we prayed and pleaded, the more denial we received, and one day on a drive home I just prayed one last time telling God I am giving this to you and I am done trying to do this my way lord I NEED YOU, after a good cry, for some reason I felt a ton lifted off of my shoulders. The next day Jeff and I were introduced and when I told Jeff my story I didn't feel Judged or like I needed to explain why we were in the predicament we were in, Jeff listened and heard my story and didn't need to hear much more and told us to consider whatever we needed done. His gesture and open heart did so much for my family and I allowing us to get things in order and just to see that there are still God's people working in good favor, we wanted to share a small bit of our journey and how much The Garden Foundation and Jeff have blessed our lives in so many ways with Love and Blessing.

- Brown Family

The Lowell Area Fire Department is pleased to be supported by the Garden Foundation. As an all services emergency response agency, we are regularly looking for groups and organizations to partner with to provide services to families we have been called to help, and sometimes the help that is needed is beyond our abilities. That is where the Garden Foundation comes in. Part of our mission is to provide top tier customer service to citizens of the greater Lowell Area. The Garden Foundation is one of those organizations we rely on. I have known Jeff Stewart (Community Engagement Director with the Garden Foundation) for several years through Church, men groups and as our care team arm with the Garden Foundation. Jeff has always had an amazing perspective when helping those in our community as they deal with devastating experiences.The mission of the Garden Foundation to provide relief and support to members of our communities, regardless of circumstance falls well in line with the missions and goals of the Lowell Area Fire Department. We are pleased to see the opportunity for growth to be able to provide these services to our growing area. In the area requests for emergency services have increased by over 50% in the last ten years and continue to increase. With the number of requests on the rise, support from the Garden Foundation will only make our community stronger and better supported.Thank you for taking the time to review this letter of support for the Garden Foundation. It is my belief that the support they receive will be a great benefit to the greater community as a whole.

- Lowell Area Fire Department

Dear members of the Garden-Thank you for generosity, it has forever changed our lives. The work you are all doing is nothing short of amazing.We will forever remember this gift and will remember in tough times that we have been blessed. Thank you again, and God bless.

- The Bennetts

My Family has been working with the engagement leg of the Garden in one form or another since its inception. From dealing with different family members substance abuse concerns to actively assisting with steps to assist in sobriety. To engage with our family in a time of tragedy with the loss of our oldest son. Jeff was also always available whenever we just needed a shoulder to cry on. Without all of the assistance and guidance I am not sure we would be in the place of restoration that we are today.There is help out there. Pray and know that there are people that can come alongside you. This is not a battle you will conquer on your own. Rest in the fact that you can rely on our God and the Garden for individualized care and meet each person where they are at.

- Thank You, B.S.

I was awestruck by the kind of support I received so quickly and consistently. I was able to afford my car repair and then pay it forward thanks to trust in God and the Garden Foundation

- Janine

I’ll be ever thankful for the times you were there for my daughter and I as we walked through some of the hardest times of our lives.When our circumstances were uncertain and unpredictable, the Care Team was there to lend a helping hand, to talk with and to comfort our broken hearts.Knowing that I could reach out in time of need and have my prayers answered by such compassionate people, made me see God’s love in my situation.We could not have gotten through those times of deep hurts without the love and support of the Care Team.Praying God’s Blessings over The Garden and the Care Team as they continue to help others in our community who just need someone to show them the Love of God.

- Thank You, M.V.

When our house was burning down Jeff was alerted and he showed up to the scene. He made sure we knew exactly what needed to be done throughout our time of need and was always very positive and gave us hope. My family was so grateful for this support. Jeff kept checking in and giving advice throughout it all. The Garden made sure our most timely needs were taken care of from our hotel stay to working in partnership with FROM to help get them clothes and some other resources. Jeff also made sure we had plenty of gift cards so we could get food and other needed items most take for granted. The Garden was able to help us benevolently throughout our time of need and was even able to assist with closing costs of the house we bought. If not for Jeff and the Garden this would not have happened as quickly as it did, and our family could still be displaced. The Garden was also able to help with car repairs in the midst of it all by connecting us with a local resource. All the support has shown our family there truly are good people out there and how the community can and should come together when others are in need. God is doing a new thing.

- Jamie & Walter

Hi there- Thanks again for meeting with me and introducing me to the Garden. I feel confident this will help me find my right direction, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for me as well as The Garden Foundation.

- Thank you for your help, A.D.

Thank you for seeing me as God sees me and not giving up on me and my girls despite what the outside currently looks like and the constant struggles. Thank you for helping walk through and educating me on all the junk I'm going through. I'm privileged and honored to have you all help walk me through this season of my life.I absolutely love the Garden. I feel so welcomed from all when I walk in the door each week I come. The Garden team is incredibly kind, patient, helpful, and honoring me as a sister, daughter of the King, a mom, friend, neighbor, and a client.I thank God for the vision He has given The Garden Foundation, and so eternally grateful for the sponsors, prayer partners, and all the workers and volunteers that have put in the love in whatever capacity they have to make this place what it is. It's been amazing to get to know each of them more and more. It's been such an honor to have been led to the Garden Foundation. I love you all so much!

- Chelle

I met Jeff Stewart on one of the most difficult and trying days of my life. I have always known there was in my power of some sort, however I have lived a life of constant struggle and lived through traumas that have made it hard for me to have the faith in God like I do today. The Garden has helped to get my vehicle back on the road, as it was found to be extremely unsafe, as well as supporting me after leaving a domestically abusive relationship, quitting hard drugs, and having finally had an apartment of my own for my girls. There were times that I was baptized in December of 2022 when the Garden Foundation opened. Where I have continued to receive help for alcohol and mental health issues and Jeff has always been there supporting me as well as never leaving me feeling judged or alone. God was with me and writing all of this out has been quite emotional, but I want people to know the powerful impact being a part of the Garden has had on my family.
‍
- Thank you, Amanda

I know God has a purpose and is teaching me something. Working with the Garden has allowed me to work through some of the worst times of my life with direction and focused purpose. I have also been blessed to have their counsel and partnership as I continue to work to the next steps in my story.
‍
- Thank you, Rebekah

I want to thank the Garden Foundation for walking with my family as we have been in a season of mental health challenges and needs. As we found ourselves in a place of dire need we did not know how to take next steps. With the Gardens partnerships with multiple connections in the mental health field we were able to take the next step that meets our full needs and make steps for positive changes. You are not alone in times of need and I would ask you to put your trust in the Garden Foundation to shine the light on positive next steps to freedom.
‍
- Thank you, Andrea

Thank you, Jeff, for being just what my husband and I needed in our time of need. Your availability to be there when we most needed help was without question a blessing. For you to drop everything you were doing in your life to walk alongside us is not the normal response, but it helped in the needed steps to help save our marriage. The word that keeps coming to mind is discipleship- you not only walking with us in the heart of the storm but continuing to walk with us as we started to see the rainbow shows real care for those in your community. Thank you so very much.
‍
- E & B

Our family wants to send a heartfelt thank you to Jeff and the Garden Foundation for the care it showed in our time of need. We found ourselves in a place where we had a family member that was caught in a substance addiction, and we were in fear of losing him like we had seen so many other families lose loved ones. The Garden was able to work with and walk with our family in this season and help us connect with a treatment facility that helped our loved one find a path forward to active recovery. Our son is now drug free and we are all living free from the dark shadow of addiction. Please keep doing what you are doing so others can be free!Our family was introduced to the Garden Foundation in a way I could have never imagined. My husband had come to a point in his mental health journey that he had tried to take his own life multiple times. We were in such a place of desperation all I could do was surrender and ask for help. We were introduced to Jeff and he began to walk with our family in our time of need and he has continued to be there as we walk through the road to freedom. The most amazing part of this relationship is that it is continuing and unwavering in its commitment to care. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our family.I wanted to say thank you so much for working so hard to help our family find the peace we have been looking to achieve for so long. When you are in dark places it is an amazing blessing to have someone walk alongside you to help you see the light, and also make sure you know where the real source of the light comes from!
‍
- Thank you, N.S.

I want to thank Jeff and the Garden Foundation for your time and care. As I have worked through addiction recovery and legal concerns you have been a present source of peace, calm, and resourcefulness. To your involvement and direction in my recovery efforts to your involvement and follow up in my community service- pre trial obligations. Your assistance and guidance helped me reach the place I am today, and that is a place of hope for my future. In 2023 when my addiction to alcohol was at its worst in many years,My wife filed for divorce after a 38 year marriage. I did not know if I was going to make it.Seeking help from the Garden and Care Team was a direction in my life that I will never regret.Without connecting back to my faith in God, I could never have made it through this time in my life.I do not know what is going to happen next, however I know that God is with me, I’m Sober, and have hope for the future.Thank you Garden and Care Team.
‍
‍- Scott W.

What the care team and the Garden has done for me and my family. Goodness where to start. A little over two years of continued support as my family fell apart with a divorce and directing me towards help and keeping the focus on God's plan for my life and my boy's life. As life continued to throw the lemons in each phase knowing that there were people to reach out to for help. As a man it can be difficult to do but understanding of being humble and listening to what God is saying to us through the help of brothers who listened to the call has been mind blowing. With a place and a group like the Garden and the care team that God has put into place I don’t know where I would be today. And after the last lemon I was dealt the community around the Garden has reached out and helped when chaos struck again with a home purchase that had many issues coming into view. The group gathered around and assisted and continues to assist me and my boys to be able to get us back on our feet. For this I am forever grateful to the community under the name of the Garden. I hope one day I can return the favors and the blessings to others. Thank you and may God bless the work of the Garden and the Care team!I have been so happy to be able to work with the Garden in my times of need. I have found support with my housing needs, and employment & networking needs that helped relieve stress with my job situation. To have someone take the time to help me better understand how to see the bright side of opportunities when all I was seeing was storm clouds. Thank you Garden Foundation for making me feel important!
‍
‍- Beth

I made contact with Jeff at the Garden when I found myself in a place where I did not know what direction to turn based on all of the negative things that were going on in my life. I was having issues with my employment, my finances, and my mental health. The Garden took the time to help me take small steps that worked into giant leaps to help me reach a new phase of life. Never underestimate how important it can be to just hear people out when they feel like no one else in the world cares about what they are going through.
Thank you for taking the time that was needed to help make a change.
‍
‍- B.D.

When you or a family member is working through a mental health challenge it is such an amazing blessing to have something like the Garden Foundation to turn into in your time of need. With the partnerships and knowledge they have with providers in our area it can be such a great tool to find the right connection to helping someone start the right road to recovery.
Keep fighting for those in need of help.
‍- J.S.

I was in a toxic relationship and had no one to turn to. My parents are gone and it's just me and my 3 kids. I was told to talk to Jeff Stewart and Jeff explained what the Garden Foundation is all about. From there he helped push me to not let fear hold me back and is helping me and my children to get a jump start in a place of our own. After months of not knowing what to do and everything happening within 5 weeks blows my mind! I couldn't have gotten where I am now if it wasn't for Jesus and the Garden Foundation.
‍
‍- Thank you, S.C.

I ended up in a bad space. Everything that could go wrong did. My mental health was tested. My faith was attacked. I fought through depression, self-hate, and self-doubt after a year of fighting off things that were fighting to destroy me. I found myself back at square one with no one but my kids, so I thought. I prayed, I cried, and my god led me to Jeff and the Garden. It took me two days to finally pick myself up and ask for help. And in three weeks my life started looking brighter. They gave me hope again. I could never give up because my kids need me. But I was no longer alone. They helped me with bills, reliable transportation, fixed the leak in my home and talked me through the steps to make my home feel like a home again. Reassuring me that my faith was never in vain. I will now be starting my new job. I'll be able to hold my head up because it's not over. It's just the beginning. God blessed me with Jeff and the Garden because he knew my testimony will bless others. The Garden and Jeff saved my life!

‍- Kei

Sometimes life can be very, very hard. I had found myself living out of state with 5 children, and in a horribly abusive relationship. I moved back to MI, but was homeless. When I was able I got a hotel room for a night, and this again led to a hard situation. The state came in and removed my children, and I found myself completely alone. I was in contact with the foster families who were caring for my children, and I knew they were well cared for and I also started hearing about the Garden Foundation at this time. The Garden was helping to support the foster families caring for my children, and as time went by the Garden began to directly support me! I am now with the Gardens help in a place where I am working with a counselor, I have housing, and transportation, which allows me to provide for my family which allows for reunification! With the support of the Garden Foundation life has begun to be very, very beautiful. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

‍- Anonymous