MISSOULA — Giant pumpkins stole the show at Orange Street Food Farm in Missoula Thursday, but it all began with an idea by Hellgate student Mathias Delp.
What started out as seeds in his backyard are now two giant pumpkins being driven around by Delp and his mother, Becky Douglas.
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His passion for growing pumpkins comes with a new purpose. Submit a guess for the pumpkin's weight and help the Poverello Center.
"All you have to do is simply come up here, scan the QR code," Delp said. "It will take you directly to a website. You click donate now."
All donations paired with a guess help the Poverello Center provide hot meals and food for Missoulians in need.
While it's a new tradition, it comes after nearly a decade of pumpkin growing.
"I learned about giant pumpkins in a magazine, I think when I was 6, and then that's where my passion sort of took off," Delp explained.
Some kids play video games, but Delp's story is different.
"You know there's so many things that one can choose to do as a 16 year old," Douglas, his mom, said. "There's school, there's sports, but there's also a lot of other activities, and I think the most wonderful thing that a parent can experience is their kid finding something that they're passionate about and that gives them joy."
But for Delp, it's often about the small things too.
"It's just a ton of tiny things like maintaining good soil health and having good fertilizer throughout the year relative to the growth stage that the pumpkins at," he said. "Also having a good sunlit patch."
You can still submit your guess and help the Poverello Center. The guessing game goes until Friday at 3 p.m. when the winner and the pumpkin's weight will be revealed.
"I’m really proud of him for stepping up and showing up and putting effort into raising money for those who are less fortunate," Douglas told MTN. "So to take one of his passions and use it as a driver to support other people is also really beautiful."
