POSTED: Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009

Meridian student grows vegetables to help fire family from the ground up

LAUREL - Deanna and Jonathan Doeden may have less trouble convincing their children to eat their veggies than any parents in Whatcom County.

For his culminating project at Meridian High School, senior Kody Carlson planted and maintained a large garden to benefit the Doedens and their five children after a fire destroyed their home in Bellingham last June.

Carlson is best known as a husky, all-league football player, but to the Doeden family he's a different sort of hero, one they never expected to meet.

"When Kody would bring all his bags of vegetables every week or two, our kids couldn't wait to dig into them," Deanna Doeden said of Isaak, 13; Cyrrus, 9; Joseph, 7; Leah, 5; and Noelle, 3. "And whenever I would remind them it was Kody who brought the vegetables on our table, they would gobble them up right away."

Carlson is the son of Vern and Julie Carlson.

Question: Kody, how did you have such good timing for your project?

Carlson: Our family has 20 acres off the Kelly Road, and lots of space for a garden that I originally intended for charities as my project. But when I saw the stories in The Bellingham Herald early in July about the Doedens being burned out of their home and losing almost everything, I thought this would be a real chance to help a large family in great need.

Deanna Doeden: Kody was such a life-saver. We've since found a home to rent (near Blaine), but for a while we were in an extremely difficult situation. We didn't know what to expect from this teenager when he contacted us through the Red Cross, but we soon came to realize what a wonderful, giving person Kody is.

Q: Kody, does this project relate to your ambitions?

Carlson: I will be attending Washington State University, but I'm not sure what my major will be. I just did the project because it was a chance to help people who really needed help.

Q: What was the most satisfying aspect?

Carlson: Just seeing the look in the Doeden kids' eyes when I would come over. It gave me a warm feeling I'll never forget.

Doeden: Kody brought us a lot more than vegetables. He brought hope. Times are still very tough for us, but on Thanksgiving Day the Carlson family literally brought us everything we needed to have a great Thanksgiving. I can't express how grateful we are for this young man's time and generosity. He has inspired our oldest, Isaak, to do a project on poverty and the food bank, and people who need food.

Q: Kody, how did you find time to maintain a large garden while playing football and keeping up your grades?

Carlson: I had never done much gardening before. I learned a lot, and I got a lot of help from my dad and mom. We grew radishes, green beans, lettuce, spinach, potatoes, corn, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots and more. We also brought apples from our trees and eggs from our chickens, plus things like soap that we knew would be necessary.

Q: What did you learn from the experience?

Carlson: I learned how blessed I really am. I can't imagine losing all my stuff and having to start over, the way the Doedens have done with so much courage.

Doeden: What also impressed us was how reliable Kody is. The Carlsons would just bring so much to help us, way more than I ever imagined they could. It really has been our miracle.