Catholic Communities of Meade County

The Office of Development would like to announce the return of Fruit of the Vine - Work of Human Hands! This program was begun years ago as a follow-up to God’s Green Acre. Fruit of the Vine – Work of Human Hands was largely focused on inviting agricultural producers to donate to the Diocesan Church to benefit our Seminarians, hence the name Fruit of the Vine. The other side of this was Work of Human Hands which extended this almsgiving opportunity to others, allowing them to donate some of their pay or business profit.
Now that Proclaim 365 is our main avenue of almsgiving, Fruit of the Vine, exists within its umbrella, and is a way of receiving gifts of agricultural commodities. The Diocese of Dodge City has long accepted gifts of this type, but there was little promotion of this fact. With this announcement and the return of this name, we hope to spread the word once again and invite our ag producers to give alms in a unique way.
Donating agricultural commodities is a way for our farmers and ranchers to be generous while receiving tax advantages. Unlike before, these gifts can go to any aspect of the Dechant Foundation’s scope, Seminarians being one of the possible designees, or these gifts can remain undesignated.
Please help us spread the word to farmers and ranchers in your communities! General instructions for a producer are below. For more details or any questions please contact Mason Eck at 620-227-1533 or mjeck@dcdiocese.org. Expect more information to follow!
Notify the elevator that the harvested commodity being delivered or stored is to be given to the Dechant Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. The elevator will contact the foundation, who will then sell the grain at market rate to the elevator. The elevator will send a check to the foundation. The farmer who donated the grain will receive a gift letter and acknowledgment from the Dechant Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Dodge City. Check with your tax advisor for legal information on how to make the greatest impact in a way most beneficial to you, following the IRS guidelines.

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