When Jennifer Dobson’s daughter, Lily, was 8 years old, they had an experience at a pumpkin patch that changed the way they looked at things.
“We went to a local pumpkin patch, and they couldn’t get her wheelchair out to the farm to get the pumpkins,” Dobson said.
Up until that point, if they went somewhere that wasn’t wheelchair assessable, she and her husband, Brad, could carry their daughter, whom they adopted from Haiti in 2015 and brought to the U.S. on a medical visa.
But as she got older, they needed more places to be wheelchair accessible.
“By the time you carry a 70-pound kid and four pumpkins and get back to the place where you started, you think, ‘There’s got to be a better way,’” Dobson said. “When we got home, I said to my husband, ‘We have flat land — why don’t we just have a pumpkin patch here?”
Making a difference
So that’s what they did.
Three weeks of hard work later, they hosted their first Rolling Pumpkin Patch, a pumpkin patch tailored especially toward people with needs that make it difficult for them to enjoy a typical pumpkin patch experience.
“That year it definitely looked like a makeshift backyard pumpkin patch,” Dobson said of their 2021 event.
But it has grown quickly since its humble beginnings — in 2023, they hosted more than 1,000 people.
This year’s event will be held Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature accessible activities including hayrides, a maze, carnival games, a petting zoo and wheelchair swings.
The day before the Rolling Pumpkin Patch, the Dobsons will host groups of special needs children who will come on field trips from schools.
“Last year, it was the first time some of those kids had been on a field trip, and the parents were in tears,” Dobson said.
‘We need more ministries like this’
People have also come from other states to visit the patch — and it has helped accommodate adults with special needs also — including one mom in a wheelchair who had never been able to experience a pumpkin patch with her family before.
Each year, God has provided enough donors and volunteers to keep the event completely free for the families, Dobson said.
One of those volunteers — the Dobsons’ pastor, Jeff Weathers — said it’s a joy to be a part of.
“The children who attend are filled with happiness, and their smiles are contagious,” said Weathers, pastor of Valley Creek Baptist Church in Hueytown. “We need more ministries like this everywhere.”
It’s a great chance for families to know that Jesus loves them and for them to “have the chance to experience His goodness and gospel,” Weathers said. “The Rolling Pumpkin Patch removes barriers, allowing these kids and their families to enjoy a wonderful event and create lasting memories together.”
It’s a “crucial” ministry for the community, he said. “By celebrating and supporting children with differing abilities … we raise awareness, strengthen bonds and live out our faith in a loving and practical way.”
Serving these families “has transformed my perspective and my life,” Weathers said.
Anyone interested in volunteering at this year’s event can email Dobson at jennifer_dobson@bellsouth.net.
For more information about the Rolling Pumpkin Patch, click here.
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