A former professional football player who walked away from the game and a multimillion dollar salary to begin a farming endeavor to feed the hungry has gained lots of media attention. The story is quite inspirational.

Jason Brown is a former standout for the St. Louis Rams where he had a contract worth $37.5 million. When he was released in 2012, several other teams pursued him but he decided he wanted to chase his own dream: farming for others.

He bought a farm in North Carolina, got advice from local farmers and began growing crops to give away.

Sweet potatoes are a super food, providing a nutritional boost as well as being delicious.

Sweet potatoes are a super food, providing a nutritional boost as well as being delicious.

In one weekend alone this fall, he gave away more than 46,000 pounds of sweet potatoes. He has teamed up with the Society of St. Andrews, a gleaning group, for help in harvesting the crop. Unlike other arrangements where gleaners go into fields after a harvest to glean the crops that were missed, Brown gives away his entire crop.

Food pantries and shelters in several locations have been recipients of the bounty.

Brown has been interviewed extensively, and it’s clear he relishes this new mission as his ministry. It’s beautiful to see how he is receiving such a blessing while providing the blessing of homegrown produce to others.

The Raleigh News & Observer featured Brown in a recent article and also included a brief video of him talking about this experience.