On Saturday morning, a bright red Massey Ferguson compact loader tractor, its side painted with the words “Given in the Name of Jesus” in bold white lettering was unveiled to Ebenezer Community Outreach’s community on Chicago’s West Side, a gift rooted in friendship and faith.
Ron Regier, owner of Regier Equipment in Madrid, Nebraska, donated the small tractor to Ebenezer Community Outreach, a nonprofit ministry that provides fresh food and community programs to local families.
“I just hope people don’t miss the point of it. It’s not that Ron and his family are doing this great, wonderful thing. It’s not us — it’s the Lord Jesus Christ. And if you miss that point, then you’ve missed the whole reason we’re doing what we’re doing,” Regier said.
The tractor will help cultivate Ebenezer Community Outreach’s community gardens, expanding plots where neighborhood residents can grow fresh, healthy produce.
Mount Ebenezer Baptist Church is located at 3555 W. Huron.
Garnet Walters is the CEO of Petra Insurance Group, a national brokerage that provides insurance solutions primarily for churches. He is involved with a national church association called Howffers. He is married to Jan Walters who serves as the chief learning officer for Petra Insurance Group, where she oversees the training of the agency’s national network of agents.
Walters, who has a farming background from his roots in Nebraska, became involved with Mount Ebenezer Baptist Church’s urban farming efforts through his connections with pastors and church communities.
Regier, a longtime friend and client of Pastor Emeritus Leon Miller of Mt. Ebenezer Baptist Church, also brought in Richard Blackmore, owner of TRI Management LLC. Blackmore holds USDA-approved patents for bioremediation products used to clean and restore contaminated environments, further enhancing the community’s gardening efforts.
Dr. James Miller serves as a board member of Ebenezer Community Outreach, helping guide its community programs and initiatives.
“It’s been a blessing to the community that we can have a larger garden and more people participating. We are not just one organization — I oversee many different organizations and we want to bring them in to do a bigger outreach in those areas,” Leon Miller said.
This collaboration with Ebenezer Community Outreach and Regier Equipment was organized by Walters who has long combined his professional work with a personal passion for supporting churches and communities.
The vision of the garden is to transform the food desert with larger and flower-filled gardens while engaging youth in positive, collaborative activities to help curb local violence.
“In addressing food deserts with fresh produce, and using biohazard cleanup processes, this tractor can be used more directly and efficiently for the bioremediation of the ground. When natural processes are applied to clean up the soil, they test it before planting, so the whole plot can be safe, useful, and effective,” Jan Walters said.
According to Dr. James Miller, food is medicine and the foundation for good health.
“Oftentimes, if people eat right, some of the medicine that’s prescribed won’t even be necessary, and we’ll have healthier people. The idea here is to heal the community in ways that they can afford — because everybody has to eat,” Dr. Miller said.
Dr. Miller points out that eating healthier can help reduce medical bills, with a focus on providing people the knowledge to take charge of their own health.
“I think agriculture is part of our lifestyle, and we hope to bring that lifestyle to the Chicago community by growing fruits and vegetables effectively. We also want to give young people something meaningful to do during the summer, teaching them about horticulture and how to grow food for their families,” Regier said.
Leon Miller explained that when grandmothers and young people work together across generations, it creates meaningful change — not only in terms of food and health but also for mental well-being. He said such collaboration fosters a new mindset through community engagement, generating a lasting impact.