H.I.S. INTERNATIONAL MISSION
Standard Operating Procedure
Matthew 6:11 Garden Project
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Matthew 6:11, KJV
Document owner
H.I.S. International Mission
Document number
HIS-M611-SOP-001
Effective date
____________________________
Version
1.0
Approved by
____________________________
Next review
____________________________
PURPOSE
This SOP gives staff and volunteers one consistent process for helping approved individuals and families grow fresh food at home through container gardens, small garden beds, or raised beds.
1. Purpose
The Matthew 6:11 Garden Project provides practical help to working individuals and families who struggle with daily food needs. The project supports dignity, stability, confidence, and greater household food independence through home gardening.
2. Scope
This SOP applies to leaders, the program coordinator, application reviewers, trainers, garden volunteers, delivery teams, participating households, and anyone handling project funds, supplies, records, or participant information.
3. Program Services
· A container, small-bed, or raised-bed starter plan matched to the household’s available space.
· Seasonal seeds or plants, soil or compost, and basic tools as supplies and funding permit.
· A required 10 to 15 minute online orientation, with a telephone, printed, or in-person option when needed.
· Planting guidance, practical support, and optional check-ins during the growing season.
· An optional opportunity to share surplus produce with another household or outreach effort.
NO GUARANTEED PACKAGE
Approval does not promise a certain bed size, crop, tool, supply quantity, harvest, food savings, or continued funding. The coordinator matches support to household needs, season, available supplies, and program capacity.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
Mission leadership
Approves policy, budget limits, major partnerships, serious-incident decisions, and exceptions.
Program coordinator
Oversees applications, training, site review, garden plans, supplies, volunteers, records, follow-up, and reporting.
Trainer or garden mentor
Provides orientation and practical guidance within personal knowledge and program authority.
Supply and delivery volunteers
Inventory, handle, load, deliver, and document approved materials safely.
Participant
Provides truthful information, daily garden care, water access, safe tool use, timely communication, and permission for the approved site.
5. Eligibility and Priority
An applicant must submit the H.I.S. Outreach Application and select the Garden Program. Before approval, staff will confirm:
· The applicant is at least 18 years old and provides reliable contact information.
· The household lies within the service area or has a written exception.
· The applicant owns the site or supplies property-owner permission.
· The household has a usable location with adequate sun or a workable container-garden plan.
· A dependable water source and daily care plan are available.
· The applicant agrees to orientation, reasonable follow-up, safe practices, and program records.
When demand exceeds resources, leadership may give priority based on food need, household resources, readiness, growing season, previous program help, and the project’s ability to serve the home safely. Staff will apply the adopted criteria consistently and record the reason for each decision.
6. Standard Workflow
1. Receive and date the application. Assign a household file number.
2. Check completeness, eligibility, property permission, and contact information.
3. Discuss household needs, experience, physical limits, available space, sunlight, water, and preferred produce.
4. Assign a container, small-bed, or raised-bed plan.
5. Provide the required orientation and record completion.
6. Complete a readiness review through photographs, live video, or a site visit when needed.
7. Record approval, conditional approval, waitlist, referral, or denial and the reason.
8. Prepare an itemized supply plan within available funding and inventory.
9. Schedule pickup, delivery, or installation. Obtain participant acknowledgment.
10. Conduct follow-up, record support provided, and close the seasonal file.
7. Application Decisions
Decision
Meaning
Approved
Requirements are complete and the plan may move forward.
Conditional approval
A correctable item remains. Supplies are held until staff verifies completion.
Waitlisted
The household qualifies, but season, funding, supplies, or volunteer capacity are unavailable.
Referred
Another program or community resource fits the need better.
Denied
A required condition is prohibited, unsafe, incomplete, or unresolved.
8. Orientation Requirements
· Choosing crops suited to the season, space, sunlight, and household use.
· Planting depth, spacing, watering, mulch, weeding, and basic soil care.
· Safe handling and storage of soil products, fertilizers, tools, stakes, and trellises.
· Reading and following all product labels.
· Recognizing common plant stress, pests, disease, and when to ask for help.
· Harvesting produce at a suitable stage, washing hands, and basic produce handling.
· Participant duties, follow-up, reporting damaged equipment, and program exit.
The trainer records the date, delivery method, participant name, and trainer name. The trainer asks short review questions and explains any missed information before supplies are released.
9. Garden Readiness Review
Area
Required condition
Permission
The owner has approved the garden location when required.
Sun and site
The plan fits the available light, drainage, slope, access, and surrounding hazards.
Water
The participant has a dependable way to water without creating an electrical, trip, or sanitation hazard.
Accessibility
The setup accounts for mobility, bending, lifting, paths, and safe reach as needed.
Children and animals
Tools, products, beds, and barriers address household risks.
Soil safety
Staff avoid visibly contaminated sites and use suitable clean material for containers or raised beds.
Maintenance
The household has time and a backup plan for daily or routine care.
10. Garden Plan and Supply Approval
The coordinator creates a written plan listing the garden type, approximate dimensions or container count, selected crops, participant-provided items, program-provided items, estimated value, delivery method, and special instructions. Only an authorized person may approve substitutions or spending above the adopted limit.
11. Purchasing, Donations, and Inventory
· Buy from approved vendors and retain receipts.
· Inspect donated tools, containers, plants, seeds, soil products, lumber, and hardware before distribution.
· Reject recalled, contaminated, badly damaged, leaking, unlabeled, prohibited, or unsafe materials.
· Do not distribute opened chemicals or products without readable original labels.
· Record received, issued, returned, damaged, and discarded items.
· Keep seeds and products dry, secure, and within suitable storage conditions.
· Separate restricted products and allow access only to authorized adults.
12. Delivery and Installation
· Confirm the address, participant, approved plan, weather, volunteers, tools, and item list.
· Review lifting, driving, digging, utility, animal, child, heat, and weather risks before work begins.
· Ask the participant to identify private utilities, septic components, irrigation, buried lines, and property boundaries. Use the proper utility-location process before digging where required.
· Use safe lifting and tool practices. Stop work when conditions become unsafe.
· Place the garden only in the approved location. Do not expand the work without coordinator approval.
· Review watering, first-week care, planting instructions, and contact information.
· Complete the delivery or installation record and obtain signatures.
VOLUNTEER SAFETY
Volunteers do not perform electrical, plumbing, structural, pesticide-application, tree-removal, excavation, or equipment work outside their training, authorization, insurance, or legal limits.
13. Participant Responsibilities
· Water, weed, mulch, support, and harvest plants according to the plan.
· Follow labels and keep tools and garden products away from children, pets, feed, and food-preparation areas.
· Tell the coordinator about major crop failure, supply damage, relocation, unsafe conditions, or inability to continue.
· Do not sell program-provided equipment during the participation period.
· Do not represent personal produce as inspected, certified, organic, or approved by H.I.S. International Mission.
· Share surplus only by choice. Program approval does not depend on donating produce.
14. Follow-Up and Support
Timing
Minimum contact
Within 7 days
Confirm watering, plant condition, supply condition, and immediate questions.
About 30 days
Review care, pests, plant losses, safety concerns, and needed coaching.
Midseason
Review progress, barriers, harvests, and reasonable adjustments.
Season close
Record results, participant feedback, reusable items, and next-season status.
15. Produce Safety and Optional Sharing
· Wash hands before harvesting and handling produce.
· Use clean harvest containers and keep produce away from chemicals, manure, animals, and dirty tools.
· Discard produce with rot, animal contamination, chemical contamination, floodwater exposure, or other unsafe conditions.
· Follow current public-health guidance for washing, storing, transporting, and sharing produce.
· When produce enters a pantry or organized distribution, follow the receiving organization’s written rules and applicable law.
· Record organized project donations by date, produce type, approximate amount, source household, and recipient organization without overstating safety or inspection.
16. Problems, Incidents, and Corrective Action
Staff will document injuries, property damage, suspected contamination, chemical exposure, vehicle incidents, missing funds or supplies, serious complaints, and other material events. For a correctable concern, the coordinator records the required action, responsible person, due date, and follow-up. Leadership reviews serious incidents and contacts emergency services or proper authorities when needed.
17. Program Exit
· A participant may withdraw by contacting the coordinator.
· The program may close a file after the growing season, relocation, inability to continue, unsafe conditions, serious noncompliance, or another documented decision.
· The exit record lists the date, reason, harvest outcome, equipment disposition, unresolved concern, and referral when appropriate.
· Leadership decides whether reusable program-owned equipment stays with the participant, returns to the program, or transfers to another approved household under the signed agreement.
18. Privacy and Records
· Collect only information needed to operate, evaluate, and protect the program.
· Limit records to authorized staff and volunteers.
· Do not publish a name, address, story, or photograph without written consent.
· Keep applications, decisions, orientation records, plans, receipts, inventory, acknowledgments, follow-up notes, incident reports, and exit records under the adopted retention schedule.
· Report suspected loss, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure to leadership promptly.
19. Required Forms
· H.I.S. Outreach Application
· Property-owner permission form, when applicable
· Garden readiness checklist
· Orientation completion record
· Garden plan and approved supply list
· Delivery or installation acknowledgment
· Volunteer safety briefing record
· Follow-up record
· Incident or corrective-action report
· Photo and testimony consent, when used
· Season-close and equipment-disposition record
20. Quality Review
At least annually, the coordinator reports applications, approvals, waitlists, garden types, households served, funds and supplies used, orientation completion, follow-up completion, reported harvests, organized surplus donations, incidents, exits, and common barriers. Reports should avoid unnecessary personal information.
21. SOP Review and Exceptions
Leadership reviews this SOP at least once each year and after a serious incident, major legal change, or material program change. Only authorized leadership approves an exception. The file states the reason, safeguards, approving person, date, and expiration when applicable.
22. Approval
Prepared by
Date
________________________________
________________________________
Approved by
Date
________________________________
________________________________
Document control: Replace superseded copies after leadership approves a revision. Record the version, date, change, and approving person on the master copy.