Planting good seeds: Catholic pregnancy resource center relocates, changes name
On November 10, 2022, Seeds of Life pro-life pregnancy and family resource center held a drive-through baby clothing giveaway at their new Fort Worth location. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
FORT WORTH — Pregnant mothers, young dads, and families needing help through a crisis pregnancy or early childhood can now receive help in Tarrant and Parker counties. Flourishing Tree Family and Pregnancy Resource Center has left its original location on Bankhead Highway in Aledo and moved to two new locations, in Fort Worth and Weatherford.
To coincide with the big move, the center also changed its name. Now called Seeds of Life, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit remains a pro-life apostolate of the Diocese of Fort Worth and continues providing free and confidential services like pregnancy testing, ultrasound exams, counseling, parenting classes, and material help such as baby formula, diapers, and infant and toddler clothing.
Roxanna Young, the executive director, said the new location on 2920 NW 27th Street in Fort Worth has been “getting a lot of positive responses [from clients]. They love Fort Worth, a lot of them are so close. We have a lot of clients in both areas.”
For those clients who live farther west, the Weatherford location at 522 Palo Pinto Street means they won’t have to go as far east for services.
Indeed, during a November Thanksgiving basket giveaway, center volunteers saw 64 clients in a 3-hour span. And on Nov. 10, during a baby clothing giveaway, volunteers at the Fort Worth location helped 16 families. The Fort Worth location provides free sonograms administered by a trained sonographer or OB-GYN. Clients can meet with a certified counselor at the Weatherford location.
The Fort Worth center is located adjacent to St. Benedict Church, on a property belonging to the church, which leases the space to them for a low cost. The Weatherford location was provided for free by a donor who owns office space in town.
Young said clientele has increased and she expects more demand as Christmas gets closer and people find out more about Seeds of Life through local parishes and Catholic organizations like the Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul Society.
To meet that demand, more volunteers are needed. Young invites anyone interested in volunteering to call 817-458-0123 or visit SeedsofLifeTX.org.
Young connects with clients, volunteers, and donors through Seeds of Life’s Facebook page. Although the center is open only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Young answers questions on Facebook throughout the week.
“I’m on 24/7,” she said. “What keeps me working 24/7 is love! God is love — we are loving our neighbors. This is God’s mission.”
Young hopes the center will continue growing with the help of more volunteers and future hiring of staff, all in order to be open for longer hours and more days.
“You plant the seed and God makes it grow,” she said, referencing the Scripture which inspired the new name: 1 Corinthians 3:6-7. “So God is the one who gets the glory. He makes it grow. That’s the word of God in your heart and in the womb.”