Joyce Phillips shares her love of gardening with the community

Joyce Phillips, who very proudly calls herself an octogenarian, is a retired RN by profession, a farmer at heart, and a community champion. She volunteers in Westland at the Hope Clinic and with the health ministry at Gethsemane Baptist Church. "Everything I do is predicated on strength and guidance from the Lord," states Joyce about all her activities.

As a child, Joyce went to school in Cleveland, Ohio, where her love of gardening started. Every Saturday morning while she was in elementary school, she would go by school bus and learn how to garden. Every child was given a section of the schoolyard and taught how to grow vegetables. She took full advantage of the opportunity, realizing later in life that few children learn how to garden while in school.

When Joyce and her husband moved to the Detroit area, she became an avid gardener, adopted the outdoor farming lifestyle, raised crops on small farms in Western Wayne County, and volunteered in Inkster's community gardens. Today, she is a nutritious food advocate, a master gardener, and the manager of the Inkster Task Force (ITF) Farmers Market. She works with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan (NKFM) REACH initiative to improve nutrition standards and increase access to fresh foods in Inkster, Wayne and Westland.

Joyce understands the barriers the western Wayne community faces in accessing fresh fruits and vegetables. Local children have few, if any, opportunities to learn how to grow vegetables. Still, with support from the ITF, the NKFM, and the Inkster Farmers' Market, the area has a place to access nutritious foods.

"To have a flourishing market, we don't have to be huge. I would love to see people come looking for fresh fruits and vegetables and have vendors who are willing to sacrifice their time and bring us fresh produce," states Joyce about the market.

The Inkster Farmers' Market is located at 27020 Michigan Ave. and open Wednesdays from 4:00pm to 7:00 pm through October 2, 2021.