Daily Inspiration: Meet Jennifer Meyer

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Meyer.

Hi Jennifer, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) empowers people to cultivate gardens as a self-sufficient means of increasing healthy food access – particularly those who struggle to eat a healthy diet because of their income or the neighborhood in which they live. Our mission is to inspire and empower low-income households, schools, and community groups to grow their vegetables and fruit. Our programs seek to raise awareness of gardening as a viable food source, remove economic and access barriers, and help anyone interested gain skills and knowledge to be successful. We make gardening affordable, providing subsidized seeds, plants, gardening supplies, tilling services, and rental plots for home gardeners and community groups. We also work to make gardening accessible, partnering with neighborhoods, schools, and nonprofit partners to establish gardens where low-income residents live and receive other services. Finally, we equip gardens with knowledge, offering on-site assistance and coaching, free gardening workshops, and an online library of guide sheets and instructional videos. Our organization began in 1979 as the Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries’ Community Garden Project, an effort to help families stretch their grocery budgets by cultivating home gardens. Kansas Citians eagerly welcomed this help, and in 1985, the organization became incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. From an initial staff of 3 people, assisting a handful of backyard and community gardeners, KCCG has grown into a staff of 26, supporting 3,400+ backyard gardeners, 280 community gardens, 230 school gardens, and 250 neighborhood orchards. Last year, more than 45,000 households harvested food from a KCCG-supported garden orchard- 1 in every 19 families in the KC metro area. Thousands more enjoyed garden-grown food that was donated through local pantries. Our gardeners grew an estimated $2.1 million of veggies and $1.8 million of organic fruit.

Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Gardening tends to thrive in times of social uncertainty – and the past 20 years have shown that story to be true in Kansas City. KCCG’s reach increased significantly during the 2008-2009 recession and saw another big spike during the pandemic. While we thought perhaps we’d see a pandemic “bubble” – people who gardened while working remotely – we’ve seen continued and even more rapid growth over the past year. The price of food and housing, coupled with uncertainties about our food supply and climate change, have inspired more and more people to roll up their sleeves and try to grow their food. It’s been exciting to share the love of gardening with a growing number of Kansas Citians. Our biggest challenge has been finding consistent funding to sustain these efforts. Until we close the wage gap in our community, there is a continued need to subsidize the cost of gardening for low-income residents. Gardening has a significant return on investment, but it can be costly. If you purchase supplies at a garden center or box store, you could spend $200 on a backyard garden. At KCCG, low-income families pay just $25 for those same services and products, thanks to the support of donors and partners.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Coming to KCCG reconnected me with my roots. I grew up on a multi-generational farm in central Kansas. My family saw growing food and feeding people as a calling, not just a career – something that’s stayed with me. Small-town life wasn’t for me, and I moved to KC for college and have stayed here through several chapters of my professional life. I’ve worked in several sectors (the arts, education, and healthcare), but I’ve always been called to work where I can help others (something I attribute to that farm upbringing). Coming to KCCG has been immensely gratifying – reconnecting to growing food and a fantastic community of growers without leaving the city. Organizationally, KCCG specializes in making gardening accessible. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, we’re here to help you succeed – even if you’ve never stepped foot in a garden. It’s exciting to try gardening for the first time – but it can also be overwhelming. KCCG is here to make it easy (or as easy as possible). We have a catalog of plants and seeds tested in our demonstration garden, and we have a proven track record of producing well in the Kansas City region. We offer technical assistance. We spend a lot of time on-site at the school and community gardens we support, working alongside gardeners and helping them to build confidence. And everything we offer is priced on a sliding, income-based scale so that gardening can be affordable for everyone.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
If you’ve ever thought about growing your food, we’re here to help! Our services are open to low-income residents and those with more resources.

Pricing:

• Home gardeners can participate in our Individual & Family Gardens program by purchasing an annual membership.
• Memberships run from October 1 to September 30, including 10 packs of seeds and a 10-lb. bag of fertilizer, plus access to member rates on greenhouse transplants, gardening supplies, and more.
• There are 4 membership levels available based on income. These are priced at $2, $15, $30, and $45 annually.
• To see what membership you qualify for, visit www.kccg.org/membership.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kccg.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kccommunitygardens/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityCommunityGardens/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kansas-city-community-gardens/mycompany/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/KansasCityCommunityGardens

Image Credits
All photos were taken by KCCG staff, with permission of the people in the photos.