December 01st, 2014

Jason Brown was born (1983) and raised in Henderson, North Carolina. Even though his family struggled financially, he excelled in high school at both academics and sports. Jason got a football scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was named First-team All-ACC in 2004. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL in 2005, and signed a contract worth millions. He was poor no more!
Jason, being a free agent in 2009, agreed to a 5-year contract with the St. Louis Rams worth over $37 million, making him the highest-paid center in the NFL! But he was released from his contract 3 years later in March, 2012. He was a free agent again. Was he looking for a bigger contract with another team? No. During the height of his career, at 31, he walked away, sacrificing millions of dollars.
Why?! He wanted a career change... to become a farmer. A farmer?! His agent said that he was making a huge mistake. Jason said, "No, I'm not!" He wanted to do something to help the poor in North Carolina, so he - with no former experience - bought a 1,000 acre farm and named it "First Fruits Farm". He was going to donate the first fruits of every harvest to food pantries. He said he wanted to do what God wanted him to do.
This year, he gave away more than 10,000 pounds of cucumbers and 100,000 pounds of sweet potatoes! Jason said that he has never felt more successful. And on November 18, he delivered his fourth child because the midwife could not get there in time. Jason said, "It was an incredible experience... it was unbelievable!" Jason, with his wife, Tay, and now 4 children, has never been happier! He was a hero on the football field to thousands; now he is a hero to thousands in his own field!

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