Growing seeds isn’t particularly hard, but growing money can present many challenges. That didn’t daunt the 16 groups growing Pay it Forward seed grants. 

In January, The Visitor offered to sponsor three Pay it Forward projects, supporting the groups with $100 each. The groups were to creatively increase the money during Lent and use the new total to fund a charity of their choosing. 

Then, one couple and three individuals saw the opportunity to pay it forward from the very beginning, contributing $1,600. As a result, The Visitor was able to support 16 projects. 

With most projects completed, the groups raised $12,286.78 as of March 24 for charities. Here’s what they did and how their projects fared:

• Artworks created by the Eastside Boys and Girls Club in St. Cloud brought in $580 at a “Youth Supporting Youth” event held at its building. Participants were treated to African drumming, a drama performance, dance and other music. Besides cash, the energy-filled evening raised awareness for projects of the Central Minnesota Boys and Girls Clubs, such as tutoring, drama, art and activities. A portion, $250, will go to Child Fund International, helping children in Haiti. 

• Josie Anderson, 11, amassed jump ropes, sports equipment, flip-flops, toys and candy to fill more than 100 “From the Heart” Easter baskets. Besides items from her schoolmates at St. Mary, Help of Christians School in St. Augusta, she received donations from Crafts Direct, Scheels and other businesses, churches and friends. She will deliver the treat-filled baskets, valued by her family at $3,000, to two St. Cloud shelters: Place of Hope, for homeless families, and Anna Marie’s Alliance, for abused women. 

• First, parishioners at St. John Parish, Foley, learned how the organization Bead for Life is eradicating poverty in Uganda one bead at a time, with Ugandan women making beaded jewelry from recycled paper to sell. Next, 15 confirmation students and about 15 adults fashioned Ugandan beads into necklaces, bracelets, earrings, bookmarks and gift tags. After praying a blessing on the items and tucking in printed prayers, confirmands offered them for sale. Their proceeds of $1,515 will be sent to the Ugandan beadmakers. 

• Using the theme of “a hoof for a roof,” the Five Parish Youth Group (Holdingford, St. Anna, St. Wendel and Opole) raffled a quarter of beef raised by one of the youth, earning $2,850. They will purchase building supplies and assist on housing construction this summer. Due to violence in Mexico, where they were originally slated to go, the building location is still being determined. 

Suppers, doughnuts and more

• Two Somalis, Mohamed Yusuf and Garret Ibrahim, talked to more than 60 members of Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids about Islam, Somalia’s history and recent war and what it was like becoming immigrants to America. Their presentation was followed by Stations of the Cross with a social justice focus on current issues. Receipts of $289.43 from the Friday soup supper will go to the St. Cloud Area Somali Salvation Organization. 

• The crowd has grown each week at St. Joseph Parish’s Lenten soup suppers in Clarissa. In addition to increasing fellowship, the parish has garnered $1,200 for the Browerville Food Shelf, with two suppers to come.

• To build a new $10,500 water tower for the Guatemalan orphanage from which they adopted son Gabriel two years ago, the Chad and Kristie Giesler family worked hard to raise funds. For example, they’ve offered doughnuts, juice and coffee after Sunday Masses at Immaculate Conception Parish, Osakis. The Pay it Forward project has added about $200 toward their goal. The Gieslers will continue until May, when Chad and Kristie plan to return to Guatemala to oversee construction. 

• Chad and Kristie Giesler’s fourth-grade daughter, Kali Giesler, challenged her schoolmates at Osakis Public School to “Quarters for Pets” for the Douglas County Humane Society animal shelter — and awarded “Scooby Snack” bags to classes donating the most quarters. Kali delivered $455 in cash and another $100 worth of puppy and kitten food. 

• Homemade St. Valentine’s and St. Patrick’s Day cookies, packaged with Bible verses and notes like “Count your blessings by thinking of those whom you love,” were baked by the seventh-grade religion class at St. Louis Parish, Paynesville. Total proceeds of $340 will help fund a grant partnership with the St. Cloud YMCA to provide supervised custody visitations for low-income families. 

• Other St. Louis Parish youth in Paynesville and their families made and served seafood chowder on Ash Wednesday. Along with a book sale, the teens earned $677 toward their summer mission trips.

• At a Sunday eggbake brunch, 27 teens and their families of Assumption Parish in Morris, prepared and served nearly 80 diners. Including the raffle of grocery and gas cards, the teens raised $753.35 — $600 of which will go to Haiti, with the remainder to Helping Hands, which assists parishioners with unexpected needs.

• Attendance rose over the four Family Funday Sundays, also held at Assumption Parish in Morris, which offered organized games for all ages. The afternoons drew $202 for a Habitat for Humanity house. Several projects need the entire time until Easter, and more, to complete. Final totals will be noted in a future issue.

• Friends, including some employees at the Pastoral Center in St. Cloud, will host supper at Noodles & Company in St. Cloud from 4-8 p.m. March 30. The meal will benefit the Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf.

• Students at Sacred Heart School in Sauk Rapids are filling containers for Anna Marie’s Alliance: backpacks, diaper bags, reusable grocery bags, purse, office supply cubes and game totes with appropriate items for each. Students will deliver the containers March 31.

• The Visitor has been collecting “Pennies for Peanut Butter” in specially-made jars placed around the St. Cloud area. The staff project raised $130 to date for the Catholic Charities Emergency Services Food Shelf. 

• A book/bake sale will be held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 10 at Holy Family School in Sauk Centre to benefit Central Minnesota Life Care, a pregnancy resource center in Sauk Centre. 

• The Dent-area project, “Seeds to Grow,” plans a community craft sale from noon to 3 p.m. May 15 at the former Dent Elementary School. It will benefit those with serious health needs.