Crowd encouraged by annual Faith & Farming breakfast
Pictured (l-r) are motivational speakers Jason Brown and Tay Brown; Tiffany McCoy of Hope House Christian Counseling Center; motivational speaker Maddie Caldwell; and Julie Seaman and Jamie Chaney of Hope House Christian Counseling Center. (Submitted photos)
The fourth annual Faith & Farming breakfast (formerly Harvesting Healthy Minds) took place Friday, Aug. 2 at the Lake View Loft from 9:30 a.m.-noon.
The large crowd enjoyed the new format of the event and was inspired and encouraged by Ms. Maddie Caldwell, a motivational speaker from Illinois, who shared her struggle with depression and anxiety.
Next to share in an interview was Mr. Doug McConnell, who spoke about recognizing and then taking steps to call to receive mental health services as an active farmer.
The main speaker for the morning was Mr. Jason Brown, a native of Henderson, N.C. who walked away from a career in the NFL to pursue a calling he had received to feed the hungry. He and his wife and their eight children own and operate a farm in North Carolina called “First Fruits Farm.” They are instrumental in sharing the first fruits of their farm to those who are hungry.
Brown took his calling literally and is doing God’s work, sharing the gospel and providing basic needs to those he has been called to serve.
The Highland County Farm Bureau provided a free breakfast for those in attendance, which was catered by Mike Allering with Four Seasons Catering. The first 100 attendees received giveaways, which included a lawn chair, ball cap, aluminum water bottle, a calming strip, fidget toy and information about mental health and the signs to look for if they need to reach out for help.
The Shawhan family of Marshall rounded out the morning by sharing through video information on why their family sought mental health services and why other farmers should not be ashamed or hesitant to reach out.
Many thanks to Hillsboro FFA chapter and to Peebles FFA chapter for their help in serving and cleaning up.
Hope House Christian Counseling Center would also like to thank our partners: Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Highland County Community Action, Farm Bureau of Highland County, R.E.A.C.H FOR TOMORROW, Highland County Suicide Prevention Coalition, Highland District Hospital, Adena Health, Highland Soil and Water Conservation District, Highland County Victim Witness and Highland County Health Department.
Publisher's note: A free press is critical to having well-informed voters and citizens. While some news organizations opt for paid websites or costly paywalls, The Highland County Press has maintained a free newspaper and website for the last 25 years for our community. If you would like to contribute to this service, it would be greatly appreciated. Donations may be made to: The Highland County Press, P.O. Box 849, Hillsboro, Ohio 45133. Please include "for website" on the memo line.
