When Reverend Dr. Heber Brown III recognized a need for nutritious food among his congregation, his response was to put his hands in the Baltimore dirt and start planting. Those seeds of change took root, and Brown shared how his desire to help his congregation grew into a multi-state network of helping hands at the recent “Do Good. Better.” Conference hosted by the Ballard Center for Social Impact at the BYU Marriott School of Business.
The March 2025 conference was attended by many alumni, students, and faculty across Brigham Young University, in addition to community members interested in social impact. The two-day conference provided an opportunity for participants to network and learn more about social impact in various presentations, including Brown’s keynote speech focused on addressing food insecurity through hard work and collaboration.
As Brown served as the pastor of the Pleasant Hope Baptist Church in Baltimore for nearly 15 years, he visited with members of his congregation and noticed that many people faced challenges related to food and diet. “The community organizer in me would not and did not feel comfortable just hearing about the food- and diet-related [problems] and then walking out after I gave a scripture and prayer and flushing it out of my mind,” he described.
Brown thought about partnering with a local grocery store, but he didn’t want to simply ask for free food. “The cost and the price [of food] is not just in dollars and cents but also in the sense of self-worth and dignity,” he explained. As Brown thought about how to help his congregation, he was inspired to put the empty land next to the church to good use.
It took some convincing to get his congregation on board with the plan to grow their own produce, but in time the garden started producing and taking on new meaning. “This garden became a magnet for more than just food,” he recalled. “It became a magnet for ministry, relationships, and social transformation.” Eventually his congregation was producing 1,200 pounds of produce in their 1,500-square-foot garden.
After seeing the positive effect the garden had in the congregation, Brown began to wonder, “If our church could do that, what if other churches could do it too?” He thought about the assets and land owned by various Black churches and wondered what each church might be able to bring to the table. So, Brown started reaching out and gradually built up the Black Church Food Security Network (BCFSN).
“I go around like a people pollinator, connecting the dots, helping people to see what is right underneath their nose, and then telling them about their cousins in the next community, in the next city, in the next state, that if you just bring everyone together, they can make even greater impact,” Brown said. According to Brown, in their quest to lessen the strains of food insecurity among the Black community, the BCFSN is now partnered with 250 churches nationwide, a blueberry farm in Virginia, and a citrus farm in Florida.
Brown invited listeners to think about their own spheres of influence. “I believe that there is universal wisdom that can be transferable to various communities and contexts,” he said.
That sentiment was echoed by Ben Gibbs, a sociology professor at BYU who attended the conference. “We all exercise the same muscles to make a difference,” Gibbs shared, “but sometimes we have a hard time labeling or conceptualizing those things with universal language.” Gibbs believes one benefit of the conference is that people from different backgrounds learn how to talk together about social impact.
Katelyn Stranger, who is in the master of public health program at BYU, was interested in collaborating with others at the conference to learn how to decrease food insecurity in the aging population. “I’m a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Association, so being able to meet with partners and others to help at-risk communities is really important for me,” she described.
Stranger wasn’t the only one hoping to find connection at the conference. Nick Romano, an MPA alumnus from BYU Marriott, was also grateful to be surrounded by others interested in social impact. He shared, “It’s about community—being with those who have like-minded passions, interests, and backgrounds—and feeling recharged by not only being with those community members but also getting inspiring and insightful advice that helps us put ideas into practice.”
Todd Manwaring, previous director of the Ballard Center, shared that the purpose of the conference is to celebrate the field of social impact and connect people who want to make a change. “The Ballard Center is trying to bring in people from outside of the university who can also participate and provide the kind of richness that comes from new perspectives,” he said.
Brown encouraged participants to continue seeking connections, even after the conference concluded. “Save some energy to create and connect with others.” he admonished. “Your most impactful and profound critique could not be in what you say, but in what you build.”
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Written by Elizabeth Walker