As the weather cools and leaves begin to change color, autumn makes its way through the heart of Aggieland, signaling the start of fall festivities. Among the many events that fall has to offer in Bryan-College Station, there are two annual pumpkin patches.
While pumpkin patches serve as an exciting place for families and friends to visit, there is more to it than just Instagram-worthy photos. The patches, organized by both the Aggie and BCS Habitat for Humanity chapters, help serve the local community by working together to raise money and build homes for those in need.
“The purpose of the patch is to raise money for Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity, and, not to pat ourselves on the back, but I think we do a really great job of it,” Director of Construction for Aggie Habitat for Humanity and civil engineering graduate student Sidney Seagraves said. “Every pumpkin patch, we can build a quarter of a house with the funds that we donate.”
According to Seagraves, the Texas A&M chapter of Habitat for Humanity has been serving A&M since 1992, and the pumpkin patch is an old tradition — although, Director of Special Events and public health senior Dylan Po said the exact origins of how the patch started are a mystery.
“I think the beauty behind ours is that we don’t necessarily understand where it originated from, but what matters is what its purpose is, what it means to us, and we’re still doing it now,” Po said.
One of the main reasons Habitat for Humanity continues to run its annual pumpkin patches is for its Habitat homes, which are homes built or rehabilitated for families to live in at an affordable cost. All profits generated from the patch go directly to raising funds for housing, according to Po.
“I think what sets us apart is that this pumpkin patch was created for the purpose of funding for these homes,” Po said. “Not a profit or penny is given to any of us officers, any of our volunteers, our members. The only money that’s made out of this goes straight into the homes of these people that we’re trying to serve.”
Organizing fall-themed events like the patches takes a lot of time and physical effort, so numerous people volunteer for pumpkin unloads, Seagraves said. Habitat for Humanity even welcomes groups from other student organizations to lend a helping hand.
“It’s one of those gargantuan efforts that really requires just all hands on deck … but it’s not an exaggeration, without the help, we cannot do it,” Seagraves said. “It’s good to see that people are still interested in helping their communities and raising money. … It shows that we as a community are strong enough to gather enough people for this.”
As a service organization, Habitat for Humanity is heavily dependent on its volunteers. Despite pumpkin unloads being time-consuming and laborious, many people return to lend their service to Habitat for Humanity each year. Patch Manager Connie Flickinger has been serving the BCS Habitat for Humanity patch for 11 years, and she mentioned that people help not just because the patches are fun, but because they serve a selfless cause as well.
“We had one volunteer one time that came out, and I found out later, at the end of her shift, she actually grew up in a Habitat home, and she just thought this was a fun way to kind of come and give back,” Flickinger said. “She was sharing that with other people. And then we actually got in touch with her, and [the] next year, she was our speaker at our banquet.”
While pumpkin patches are an event that many associate with fall or Halloween, they represent something more to Habitat for Humanity. The money raised from the pumpkin patches helps bring miracles to many families in need.
“I was talking to these kids about how Cinderella had this pumpkin that her fairy godmother turned into a carriage,” Flickinger said. “But then, of course, at midnight, it turned back into a pumpkin. But our pumpkins are even more special than Cinderella’s pumpkin, because our pumpkins turn into houses. So we have t-shirts that say, ‘Some miracles last past midnight.’”
As the years go by, the patch continues to attract more and more people, with sales growing each year, according to Flickinger. However, buying a pumpkin at the patch is not required, so all are welcome to have fun free of charge.
“The young adults that come out just have so much fun out there,” Flickinger said. “It’s hilarious watching them. The guys come out, and they’re dragged by their girlfriends, and they act like they don’t really want to be there, but then they totally get into it and start taking pictures. So it’s enjoyable being out there and just seeing something families can do that doesn’t cost to come to.”
The pumpkin patch is a timeless tradition, and Flickinger has watched many memories be made by families who come back year after year to visit the patch. Seeing families grow up as they return is one of Flickinger’s favorite memories about the yearly tradition.
“One of them was engaged, and they came back and then got engaged at the pumpkin patch,” Flickinger said. “ … And then they came back next year, and they were married, and they came back next year, and they had a baby, and so it’s just fun.”
