Botts takes on Biblical gleaning to help those in need

Mary Lynn Botts describes her career journey as “very circuitous,” yet preparing her for opportunities to help feed the hungry. (Photo by Jen Fouts-Detulleo, JFD Photography & Design)

MADISON – Mary Lynn Botts isn’t the type of person to sigh and moan about the world’s many problems. When she sees a need, she gets busy, just as she did with Society of St. Andrew.

Botts was scheduling service projects for the C.H.R.I.S.T. Choir at Asbury United Methodist Church when a friend suggested “gleaning.” A Biblical principle, gleaning involves harvesting leftover crops from fields that would otherwise be wasted and giving it to the hungry.

“I put my ‘Googling’ skills to use and tracked down Society of St. Andrew,” Botts said. “We took about 40 kids on choir tour to a huge warehouse in Washington, D.C., and culled several tons of sweet potatoes and rutabagas.”

Returning to Madison, Botts connected with St. Andrew’s Alabama representative and continued taking youth groups to local farms. First, they gleaned pumpkins at Dennison Farms in Elora, Tenn.

She became a part-time employee with St. Andrew then full-time as project coordinator and now is volunteering. “This job is so much bigger than me. I’m such a little cog in this entire process,” Botts said.

In her work, Botts locates vegetables and fruits on local farms and orchards – “food that’s healthy and edible but isn’t pretty to be sold in grocery stores. I build relationships with local farmers. When they have produce at the end of a growing season, they contact me.”

Her network of volunteers harvests “everything from tomatoes, squash, peas to peaches, peppers and watermelons.” One “faithful lady” collects unsold produce at Madison City Farmers Market every Saturday.

“Crop drops” are another way of acquiring food. “We receive very large quantities at one time – 20,000 pounds of green beans, 30,000 pounds of apples, 40,000 pounds of sweet potatoes,” she said. Up to 200 volunteers help at crop drops.

In just three years, Botts has scheduled numerous “drops” in Madison, including the Serving the City as One project, with YMCA youth, and Kaitlynn Krupp’s project for Girl Scout Gold Award with James Clemens High School Band.

At Asbury Vacation Bible School, 900 youngsters and parents bagged 60,000 pounds of sweet potatoes, green beans and squash in 30 minutes. “It was an incredible sight to see,” she said.

To distribute gleaned produce, Botts has nurtured another network with feeding agencies, food pantries, soup kitchens and food banks. She has connected with practically all Madison County groups and some in Limestone County.

Hunger is real in Madison County. “A big problem. One we often don’t realize exists,” she said. She first saw evidence when volunteering with Asbury Community Garden. “(The Lord) even placed a homeless high school senior in my home for several months,” Botts said.

“Hunger, homelessness and poverty exist in Madison. We see it in our working poor. Single-parent moms work two fast-food jobs making minimum wage. They have to decide each month, ‘Do I buy medicine? Pay rent? Buy food?’ Our elderly are also at risk.”

Her husband Dr. Mike Botts is president and owner of Botts Innovative Research, which develops sensor systems within the intelligence, defense and scientific communities. Mary Lynn earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Alabama.

Their son Drew works as a fabric designer for Billy Reid and lives in Costa Rica. Their daughter Rachel and husband Carl Schoenholz recently moved back to Madison from Denver, N.C. He is Asbury’s associate youth minister. Rachel works in graphic design for Taylor Strategies, whose customers include Mercedes Benz and Allstate.

“My family is very blessed. Everyone is doing work that they are passionate about,” Mary Lynn said.

“I couldn’t have done this work without my family’s support,” she added. She also acknowledged Don and Loretta Wight, Jim Moon, Sally Warden, Harriett Hess and Rosie Miller who work in fields with her. She credited Madison County commissioners, particularly Steve Haraway, and Huntsville Commissioner Bob Harrison for their support.

Reflecting, Mary Lynn said she feels humbled with her current avocation. At UA, she completed pre-med study but reconsidered that path. “My family debated my career options around the breakfast table” after she took entrance exams for medical, law, business and pharmacy schools.

Mary Lynn told her parents she wanted to feed the hungry. “My father’s response was, ‘Mary Lynn, there’s no money in that.’ My mother’s response was, ‘Oh Leonard. Don’t worry. She’s just young and idealistic.'”

“My career journey has been very circuitous, but, looking back, I was being prepared for when the Lord would give me the desires of my heart and the opportunity to feed the hungry,” Mary Lynn said. “I’m blessed beyond measure. I love that the Lord gives us more than we ever imagined if we only trust Him.”

Residents can email botts@knology.net to join Mary Lynn’s volunteer roster or visit endhunger.org or Facebook/Society of St. Andrew-Alabama.