Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Ryan McGill
When Leneda Jones lost her husband, Ronney Black, in an accident, her future felt impossible to envision. Left reeling in the wake of his death, the then 24-year-old focused all her energy on caring for her two children.
Leneda, who grew up in Sumiton, Alabama, was blessed by the support of the close-knit community. At 28, four and a half years after her husband’s passing, she had decided a second marriage was not in her future. Friends and family had tried setting her up with eligible young men multiple times, but each attempt only pushed her further away from the idea of sharing her life with someone new. However, God had a different plan of hope, healing, and love.
“My pastor’s wife wanted to introduce me to someone. I didn’t want to meet him because it’s one thing to be in love when you’re young, but I was widowed with two children, and they were my priority,” Leneda says. “However, she dragged me into the room, and I met him. He and I were married two and a half months later.”
Byron Jones, a minister from South Carolina, soon became Leneda’s husband, and she found herself moving states away as he continued his work as an evangelist and founder of a Christian drug rehabilitation facility. Over the years, the couple and their five children moved around the Southeast, engaged in pastoral work in various churches.
When Byron retired from full-time ministry, the couple returned to Sumiton to be closer to Leneda’s family. Their five children were grown and building families of their own, and Byron and Leneda wanted to focus on being grandparents. But another chapter of God’s plan unfolded as tragedy struck again.
“My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and then my mother was diagnosed with it as well. I lost my dad in 2014, and my mother passed away in 2016. My husband was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and I lost him in 2018. Those days were just getting up and making it every day, but I leaned on my faith in God, and He was there for me,” Leneda says.
Amid her family’s struggles with illness, Leneda sought an anchor – a purpose to channel her energy and help others. Family members who were employed at a local school told her about students who lacked sufficient food at home. The stories stirred something in her, and she knew the community could help if they were aware of the situation.
“I was reading an article in People magazine about a woman in Carson City, Nevada. She heard about children in her daughter’s elementary school who didn’t have food, so she began preparing bags of food for the children to take home on the weekends. A light bulb came on, and though I didn’t know what it would look like, I knew this was my next step,” Leneda says.
Leneda contacted the woman from the article, learning the ins and outs of starting a similar organization. As her resolve grew, opportunities appeared. Schools reached out, seeking meals for students, and local people began donating food. Time and again, Leneda found herself met with the resources she needed to continue.
In January 2010, she established Backyard Blessings. Over the past 15 years, the organization has grown, now providing weekly meals to nearly 1,400 students in Walker County. Backyard Blessings relies on the generosity of foundations, organizations, churches, businesses, and individuals who are passionate about the organization’s mission.

“Those organizations, like Walker Area Community Foundation, who partner with us enable us to provide for so many children. Their help is invaluable to our work,” Leneda says.
Throughout her life’s challenges, Leneda has found Backyard Blessings to be as much a source of strength for herself as it has been for those it serves.
“As I went through so many challenges, I thought about how it all fit into God’s plan, but I was so focused on getting up and making it through the day. There are still times when I reflect and I don’t understand. But I realize that God knows our humanity and the emotions we have. He loves me and will not give me more than I can handle. Keeping busy with work and holding onto that faith brought me through.”
She adds, “I consider it a privilege to do this work, and I feel just as passionate about it today as I did in 2010. It’s a privilege to be able to come together with people in this community and provide food for these children who need it. When I look back at everything that has happened in my life, I realize that God knew all those things would happen. He saw the big picture, and He knew what I needed. That is my story, and God has been good to me.” WL