In 2000, Sowing Seeds of Hope was founded by a group of visionary leaders who believed that Perry County’s future could be as rich as its Black Belt soil. Ministers, educators, elected officials, and local citizens committed to work together to improve the quality of life and work in Perry County.

In 2002 and 2003, we educated families about the availability of AllKids, Alabama’s free state-sponsored health insurance for children. Sowing Seeds of Hope also offered assistance with the application process. These efforts resulted in a tenfold increase in the number of insured children in Perry County.

In 2004, Sowing Seeds of Hope partnered with the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University to create the Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Clinic. Now in its sixteenth year, the clinic continues to provide weekly monitoring for Perry County residents with hypertension. In 2005, a monthly support group for community members with diabetes also grew out of the partnership. In addition to helping hundreds of Perry County residents lead healthier lives, these programs have become a model for collaboration between pharmacy schools and rural nonprofits throughout the nation.

Sowing Seeds of Hope’s groundbreaking work to provide free vision and hearing screening to every student in Perry County was replicated statewide in 2008 by Governor Bob Riley’s Alabama Rural Action Commission.

In 2009, the Sowing Seeds of Hope Self-Help Housing program completed its first home, becoming the first USDA Mutual Self-Help Housing site in Alabama to have completed a home in over twenty-five years. We have now helped eighteen families realize their dream of home ownership.

The staff and board of Sowing Seeds of Hope worked tirelessly to persuade lawmakers to revise the regulations that prohibited End Stage Renal Disease facilities from operating in areas more than ten miles from a hospital. In 2012, DaVita Dialysis opened its doors in Marion. This eliminated a 40-mile drive two to three times a week for more than 50 dialysis patients from Perry County.

At the time of our founding, the average number of children’s books in homes in Perry County was less than one.  We have given thousands of books to families over the past two decades, in addition to helping stock school, church, and public libraries.  Our Little Free Library also provides constant access to age and grade level appropriate children’s books.

Last year, Sowing Seeds of Hope served 4,689 people in Perry County, which has a total population of 9,339. We provided health education and health screenings, hosted parenting support groups, promoted literacy, and improved housing. We distributed school supplies, eldercare products, clothing, and food. Sowing Seeds of Hope inspired, empowered, and supported local leaders.

Our work has been honored by the United States Congress, Baptist News Global, Human Rights Watch, and The New Yorker magazine.

Two decades after our founding, we still believe in Perry County, and we invite you to join us in our work.