The aroma of barbecue sauce simmering on a stove at the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Gary lingered in the church hall as volunteers bustled around prepping vegetables. A struggling mom of 10 turned minister launched the first Harvest Feast in humble surroundings in a storefront in Midtown along Broadway. State Rep. Vernon Smith, the youngest child of Pastor Julia Smith, has kept her tradition alive for more than 30 years after her death.

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