This postal employee teaches Memphis, TN, residents how to grow their own food

Photo: Kenneth Anderson, center, with volunteer Nikkino Wesson, at left, and his wife, Tienne Anderson

My name is Kenneth Anderson and I’m an employment law attorney for the Postal Service in Memphis, TN. I’ve been with USPS for a year.

I am a Memphis native, and in 2012, my wife and I bought a 21-acre farm here to live on and raise our sons.

On Juneteenth 2021, during the pandemic, I offered the community an opportunity to come to our farm for a chef-cooked meal and a concert by an African jazz ensemble. More than 275 people showed up.

They were intrigued by our garden, and out of that grew the idea of Everbloom Farmacy, our nonprofit organization that seeks to grow food, well-being and community together. I serve as a volunteer as well as executive director.

Memphis has a prevalence of chronic diseases tied to diet and lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 90 percent of Tennesseans are not eating sufficient vegetables to prevent those diseases. Plus, many residents are food-insecure here.

My grandparents kept a vegetable garden I was responsible for tending when I was young. I never ate healthier than I did back then. As a grower, you take things into your own hands and you help improve those statistics.

With Everbloom, I wanted to come up with a model to engage the public so they can grow their own food and improve the quality of their lives.

We operate a community nursery. Volunteers help us plant seeds, and then we give away the subsequent seedlings to anyone in the community who wants to grow a garden. Along with that, we teach people how to do it.

A starter garden from us contains 18 seedlings. On average, when those plants start producing food, a family can supplement three meals a week with what they grow themselves. Plus, it’s a significantly healthier shift in their diet.

In 2024, we gave away 16,000 seedlings to more than 400 families, churches and community gardens. This year, we’re aiming for 20,000.

We want to give as many people as possible the experience of what it’s like to grow their own food — and to feel connected to the land and to each other. We encourage growers to share the bounty of their gardens with their neighbors, which builds a stronger sense of community.

With the Postal Service, I’m in an agency that connects one part of the country to another. With Everbloom, I’m connecting people with gardening.

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