By Lee Eric Smith
TSD Contributing Writer
On a stretch of land where a lake glints in the distance and chickens roam beyond rows of seedlings, the work at Everbloom Farmacy looks, at first glance, like a simple day of planting.
But for founder Kenneth Anderson, the goal runs deeper.
“We’re not just planting seeds — we’re growing growers,” Anderson said, pausing amid trays of young plants and clusters of volunteers. “A cadre of people who can ensure Memphis always has food in abundance.”
The recent “seeding event” brought together residents from across Memphis — and even a group of teenagers from Birmingham, Alabama — to help repot and distribute thousands of seedlings grown on Anderson’s 21.5-acre farm.
The work unfolded with an easy rhythm. Volunteers moved between tables, soil and starter plants in hand, while conversations flowed and music played in the background.
For Anderson, that blend of activity is intentional.
“Our mission is to grow food, well-being and community — together,” he said. “Each one feeds the other.”
‘An extension of your fridge’
Everbloom Farmacy, a nonprofit organization founded five years ago, is built around a simple but urgent premise: Access to healthy food should not depend on where you live or how much you earn.
“We really see ourselves as a movement,” Anderson said. “And that movement is about ensuring food sovereignty and food access — independent of your economic status or where you live.”
A Memphis native who grew up in North Memphis, Anderson said the idea took shape after he returned to the Bluff City in 2009 following years of living overseas. There were patterns around the growth and consumption of food that he noticed in other cultures that he didn’t see back home.
“I realized there were a lot of health concerns impacting our community — obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancers — all related to food,” he said. “And so much of our food appeared to be processed, because many of our community members live in food deserts.”
What troubled him most, he said, was not just access to food, but the lack of connection to how it is produced.
“A grocery store is a marketplace, not production,” Anderson said. “It’s important to have places where people can buy food, but we need to reconnect with the idea of growing our own food.”
His guiding principle is straightforward:
“Your garden should be an extension of your fridge.”
Seed starters
That philosophy drives the organization’s work — particularly events like the recent seedling giveaway, where participants receive starter plants and hands-on guidance at no cost.
“The only way to get people to do that is to provide the means and access so they don’t have to spend money just to start,” Anderson said.
Through its state-licensed community nursery, Everbloom continuously grows and distributes seedlings while teaching residents how to maintain their own gardens. He believes the approach is key to building a sustainable local food system.
“Our mission is to show that many hands make light work,” Anderson said. “If everybody does something, no one has to do too much.”
From volunteers to future growers
For many attendees, the event was as much about connection as cultivation. Jackie Pride, a Memphis resident attending her first Everbloom event, said she was drawn by friends — and stayed for the sense of community. African drummer Ekpe Udoh maintains a gentle rhythm and vibe.
“This is an awesome property. They’ve done a beautiful job with this farm,” Pride said. “And you hear the music playing? That’s our history. It’s all about bringing us together.”
“This isn’t just about one person, one company or one nonprofit,” she added. “This is a community event.”
That community extended beyond Memphis. J’Money Webb, 15, traveled from Birmingham with classmates from Build Up Community School as part of a school trip organized by a principal with Memphis ties.
“He wanted us to see how they grow plants so we can go back home and share what we learned,” Webb said.
The experience shifted his perspective.
“When you grow your own food, you know where it comes from,” he said. “If you just buy it from the store, you don’t always know.”
Webb said he now hopes to garden more regularly — starting with one of his favorite foods.
“I’d say cabbage,” he said. “And yeah, I know how to cook it, too.”
Closer to home, 14-year-old Enoch Graham, a student at Houston High School, said his own experience with growing began with flowers — but the lesson extends further.
“Without farmers, we wouldn’t have fresh food — healthy food,” Graham said. “Everything would just be processed.”
His advice for getting more young people involved is simple:
“Just getting out there and trying it. Once you do it one time, it’s kind of fun.”
‘Shelter isn’t just a house, it’s community’
For Anderson, those individual experiences are part of a larger goal — one that connects food access to broader social outcomes.
“I’ve been a lawyer for more than 28 years,” he said. “When I look at the map in Memphis and see where crime is highest, and then overlay where food insecurity is highest — it’s a one-to-one ratio.”
To him, that correlation points to a deeper issue.
“Crime is often a symptom of needs not being met,” Anderson said. “And those needs are simple: food, shelter and connection.”
“And shelter isn’t just a house — it’s community.”
That belief fuels Everbloom’s ongoing outreach, with regular seedling distributions planned across Memphis, including North Memphis, New Chicago and Boxtown. The next opportunity comes soon.
Everbloom Farmacy will host another community seedling distribution on Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. at its Community Learning Nursery, 6165 Benjestown Road. Participants can pick up starter plants — including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, okra and squash — and get guidance from the organization’s grow team.
The event builds on recent momentum. In March alone, Everbloom distributed nearly 800 starter plants and worked with volunteers to transplant more than 2,000 seedlings.
For those interested, Anderson’s message remains simple:
“Spend time in the soil,” he said. “And if you don’t want to do that, support someone who does.
“Everybody eats. We just want to make sure everybody eats well.”
