The average pumpkin weighs 13 pounds. When several are stacked in a wheelbarrow, they can quickly add up. However, Kingwood High and Kingwood Park JROTC members took all of that in stride as they volunteered on Oct. 18, unloading 1,122 pumpkins from a delivery truck in less than two hours at the annual Good Shepherd Pumpkin Patch. 

“Without the volunteers, we would be in a world of pain.” Kanon Gouralt, coordinator of the event said. “They come, they unload the pumpkins, they honestly do anything we ask them to. They put up the tables for us, and they do it all with a smile.”

JROTC members were not just smiling while they worked. They also sang several songs, including “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “I Want It That Way.”

“This is really one of the biggest events where you see us and other units coming together and working towards a common goal as well as just everybody in the community that comes out here,” said First Lieutenant Zachary Zettlemoyer, a senior from Kingwood Park. “It’s part of our curriculum as JROTC to do community service, it’s also our unit’s mission. We love helping our community.” 

The collaboration between the two schools helped students in different programs make connections with each other. 

“A lot of the people are really nice,” freshman volunteer Ava Meshell said. “The ones from KHS are really interesting, and it’s good to see other people and how they do JROTC at other schools.” 

The pumpkin patch is kid friendly, boasting a Halloween-themed maze and several games, including searching for treasures in corn kernels and racing rubber ducks in water. The patch is also very focused on safety for everyone. Neon orange fencing isn’t there to stop potential thieves, but to stop small children from running in the street.

There are also several photo opportunities and backdrops that have changed relatively little since the genesis of the event, like a scarecrow quilt that has hung every year. 

The proceeds go to Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, but are spread to charities throughout the community. 

“Any of the fundraising that we receive or any part of the donations, it goes to our outreach ministries, and we support Mission Northeast, we support HAAM, we support Lord of the Streets, so we have several outreach opportunities that we funnel the money to,” said Roger Horton, a member of the church who ran the patch several years with his wife and remains active in the parish. 

JROTC students aren’t the only ones who help out at the pumpkin patch. Leland’s shed store gives them a storage unit they can use for three weeks free of charge. Flowers from Warren’s are sold at cost so the patch can make a profit. 

“It [takes] a lot of people to make this work,” Gouralt said. 

The patch runs from Oct. 11-Oct. 31, and admission is free. 

“I think the biggest thing is we want people to come here, you don’t have to buy a pumpkin, that’s why it’s free to get in,” Gouralt said. “We want you to come here, we want you to have good experiences, we want people to feel welcome.”