Impacting the Community
Keith and Janet Gardner, along with other family members, own and operate Kings River Packing (KRP), a successful citrus production company in Sanger, California. Having both grown up in Sanger, the Gardners are very familiar with the community and livelihood of those in the citrus farming industry. Their company’s mission is to honor God by impacting the lives of their employees, customers, and community.
Out of this value, the Gardners started a Bible study to minister to employees of KRP. As the Bible study grew, it began to meet needs within the community for clothing, food, education, and social activities such as organized soccer games.
The movement inspired Keith and Janet to dream of building a school that genuinely cared about the working farming community of Sanger. They established The King’s Corner Ministries (TKCM) for this purpose, and in 2017 classes began meeting in a local church.
Seeing the positive impact of the teaching environment, their ministry needed a financing partner to move forward with their dream of a school facility. The Gardners had been using a Donor Advised Fund with MB Foundation to facilitate gifts of oranges and other commodities, so it seemed fitting to approach MB Foundation to borrow funds for this charitable venture. A partnership was formed for the school construction project.
Plans were drawn up, preconstruction steps taken, and in 2022 construction began on a 31,264-square-foot facility. It features eight classrooms, administrative offices, a game room, a kitchen, a donation center, a 13,231-square-foot gymnasium with a basketball court, and an outdoor soccer field and playground. Use of the newly constructed facility began in the fall of 2023.
Today King’s Corner School is serving the needs of 80 students. The school’s vision, to offer families of various income levels an educational experience that values family, character, servant leadership, and Jesus Christ, is now a reality. Each day students are provided educational instruction while being encouraged in their lives to pursue a relationship with Jesus.
When asked to reflect on the dream of a school that now is a reality, Keith Gardner said, “It’s been a journey. It’s worth it.”