Shepherd's Grain co-founder and retired farmer Fred Fleming and Danny Beard, director of strategic partnerships for Union Gospel Mission in Spokane.

SPOKNE — Farmers provide food for everyone, including those who are underprivileged, poor or homeless, said Danny Beard, director of strategic partnerships at Union Gospel Mission, a nonprofit organization in Spokane.

“We will partner with the Inland Northwest to reach the poor with the love and power of the Gospel, that they might become God-dependent, contributing members in society,” Beard said.

Many farmers in the Inland Northwest are involved with the nonprofit. Some farmers donate the equivalent of one harvested acre to the organization, Beard said.

Beard is a longtime friend of Reardan, Washington, farmer Fred Fleming, co-founder of the Shepherd’s Grain co-op. Fleming first encouraged Beard in 2019 to take part in the Spokane Ag Show.

Beard grew up on a dairy, soybean, corn and wheat farm outside St. Louis, Mo. 

“I understand the role and the value that the farmer plays in the success of our society,” he said. “Hard work pays off.”

The biggest way to fight homelessness is give people a good meal and the opportunity to sleep in a bed inside, he said.

Last year, Union Gospel Mission served more than 192,000 meals and provided more than 101,000 nights of shelter and more than 2,400 medical visits for the sick in its medical facilities.

It served 285 people in its recovery programs.

“Those are people that have made a decision that they’re tired of the way their life is going, they know that they have some type of addiction, and they want to be set free from their addiction,” Beard said.

Last year, 629 men and women found jobs through the organization.

Beard explains the definition of a “contributing member of society.”

“They get themselves clean and sober,” Beard said. “They get a job. They get a place to live. They are in community in some way, shape or form.”

That could be through the church, Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous or the people with whom they go through 18-month recovery programs.

Finally, he said, “If you are a contributing member in society, you’re paying taxes,” he said.

Beard shared a Bible verse from Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

“He was talking about seeing the importance, significance and the value of every life,” he said.