Fresh produce delivered to East Knoxville food desert by BattleField Farm truck
BattleField Farm & Gardens is on the move.
From the organization’s beginnings as a “gleaning fence,” which provided fresh vegetables for the taking at a plot next to Tabernacle Baptist, to the founding of BattleField Farm & Gardens in 2018, to the beginning of the Eastside Farmers Market, the Rev. Chris Battle has worked with others to address food insecurity in East Knoxville.
Recently, BattleField has taken its show on the road, bringing fresh produce once a week to East Knoxville neighborhoods.
For the first two weeks, Battle used his own truck. But the latest drop-off on Linden Avenue featured BattleField’s newest acquisition: a converted school bus that Battle bought from Emerald Youth Foundation.
“They made me an offer I could not refuse!” he said.
Battle is part of a widespread network involving church food ministries and other entities that share his concern for food disparity. He got a call late last year from Concord United Methodist Church: “We have sweet potatoes; how much do you want?” Battle took 1,800 pounds.
“I put them on Facebook. People will come and within a couple of hours it’s usually gone.
“But I got to thinking: The demographic that I’m really trying to reach may not have adequate transportation, may not even have internet — how do I get these sweet potatoes to them? The answer hit me: Get a vegetable truck.”
He started looking. All options were cost-prohibitive. Then he thought of his friend Steve Diggs, Emerald’s president and CEO.
“We are alike in that we’re both men of visions and dreams,” says Battle, who won the 2021 “Serve” Impact Award from the 9th Annual Young Professionals of Knoxville. “I said, ‘if you happen to have any of your mini-buses going offline please let me know.’ And maybe two weeks later he texted me.”
With money from donations, Battle bought the vehicle and his army of volunteers moved in to help, making the bus suitable for moving lots of fresh produce.
Also involved were Adam Caraco from Knoxville CAC and Beardsley Farm, Stan Johnson and Aisha Brown of SEEED, Vivian Williams of National Women in Agriculture Association, Tanisha Baker of 5 Points Up, and Kimberley Pettigrew of Nourish Knoxville.
Fellow pastor Reuben Mitchell of Love H.O.P.E. Ministries did the shelving. Next up will be a paint job with a logo.
“The beauty of it is that things just came together,” says Battle.
On a recent Wednesday, Battle and volunteer Kelly Sauskojus, education coordinator for Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum, took the truck on its maiden voyage, welcoming an enthusiastic crowd of over 80 people from Morningside Gardens Apartments.
Inside, the shelves were bursting with fresh produce — corn, okra, several types of tomatoes, squash and melons, blackberries, bell peppers, and more — unsold produce left over from that day’s Market Square Farmers Market and bought via a grant procured by Nourish Knoxville.
In other words, Battle and his team are still gleaning.
“So many people have made this possible,” he says. “My hat goes off to them and I’m just really grateful for their support.”
Info: Facebook.com/battlefieldfarmandgardens.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: BattleField Farm truck delivers produce to East Knoxville food desert
