[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat|700|||||||” text_font_size=”50px” text_line_height=”1em” text_orientation=”center”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90aXRsZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7ImJlZm9yZSI6IiIsImFmdGVyIjoiIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat|300|||||||” text_font_size=”30px” text_line_height=”1.3em” text_orientation=”center” max_width=”75%” module_alignment=”center”]<\/p>\n
Ivy Walls delivers free fruits and vegetables in a neighborhood that lacks healthy food options. After COVID-19 hit, she realized her deliveries were even more important.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”content” _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Montserrat||||||||” text_orientation=”center”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZmlyc3RfbGFzdF9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9mZiIsImxpbmtfZGVzdGluYXRpb24iOiJhdXRob3JfYXJjaGl2ZSJ9fQ==@[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/faith_ard_final.jpg” alt=”Illustration by Ard Su” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||40px||false|false” animation=”off”]<\/p>\n Illustration by Ard Su<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/FaithMaster.mp3″ title=”Listen to Ivy Walls’ story” artist_name=”Faith Castle” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_audio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”7px|||||”]<\/p>\n When Ivy Walls got a message that she was on Beyonce.com for winning a Black Parade Grant, she screamed with excitement. At that moment, she knew quitting her job in epidemiology to work the family farm was the right move.<\/span><\/p>\n The Walls family farm is in the South Houston community of Sunnyside. The predominantly Black community is classified by the federal government as a food desert \u2013 a low-income area where residents have to travel more than a mile to access a supermarket. Sunnyside residents lack access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and the area has been particularly hard hit during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n Walls, whose family has been farming since the Great Depression, started growing cucumbers and okra in her parents\u2019 backyard to pass out to her neighbors. In February, after she moved back home, her vision began to grow along with the vegetables.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDuring that process, I realized how much I loved being back in the soil and working, working the earth,\u201d Walls says. \u201cI moved over to our family\u2019s 5 acres.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Faith01.jpg” alt=”Ivy Walls” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off”]<\/p>\n Originally from the Houston suburb of Pearland, Ivy Walls moved to Sunnyside after graduating from Texas Prairie View A&M University with a bachelor of science in biology. (Photo by Ray Ruiz)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”30px||||false|false”]<\/p>\n Her goal was to plant more leafy green plants and vegetables across the widespread land by March. However, her plans transitioned after COVID-19 spread.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to lacking access to healthy food options, Sunnyside is one of Houston\u2019s leading COVID-19 hotspots, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Because of her job working in a hospital and after getting COVID-19 herself, Walls realized her farm could provide the nutrition needed to help keep residents healthy during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you’re not [eating], you know, proper produce, you’re not going to be able to fight off the virus,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n Walls quit her job to focus on the farm in August. However, she still needed money to start a greenhouse and mobile unit to safely deliver fresh fruits and vegetables throughout her community. She started a GoFundMe to spread the word to her 10,000+ followers on social media.<\/span><\/p>\n When she woke up on Aug. 17, she was in shock that she left her job. Then she got a text message telling her she had won a $10,000 grant from Beyonce and the NAACP.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was just screaming,\u201d Walls says. \u201cIt was just like a confirming kind of feeling that like you’re supposed to be here doing this mission and fulfilling this purpose.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n With a complete greenhouse and mobile unit, Walls has been able to provide her neighbors fresh fruits and vegetables for free. In addition to continuing her grandparents\u2019 legacy of giving and farming, Walls has found community within Sunnyside.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n \u201cSunnyside was my place to go for all things culture-wise,\u201d she says, describing trips to the beauty supply store and family reunions during her childhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Walls adds to the culture with her plant pop-up shops, where people can socialize and buy new plants. She says the events have helped the neighborhood reconnect with nature and the gardening experience. <\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Walls is just one contributor to the growing community of farming and agriculture in Sunnyside. She has joined fellow Prairie View A&M grads and others who studied biology to work together to \u201cheal the community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy neighbors, they do yoga and mental wellness [events], those kinds of things,\u201d she says. \u201cAll around, we’re going to do our best to do our best.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Faith02.jpg” alt=”Walls hosts Plant-Pop-Up Shops” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off”]<\/p>\n Walls hosts plant pop-up shops throughout the year where people can get their first cactus or starter plant to add to their personal garden. (Photo by Lenard Smith Jr., courtesy of Ivy Walls)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/txnewsroom2020.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2020\/12\/Faith03.jpg” alt=”Walls uses her grandfather\u2019s tractor” content_max_width=”100%” _builder_version=”4.6.3″ _module_preset=”default” body_font=”Montserrat||||||||” body_font_size=”14px” body_line_height=”1.2em” text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” animation=”off” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Walls uses her grandfather\u2019s tractor. Her grandfather also used a produce truck to deliver vegetables during the Great Depression. (Photo by Ray Ruiz)<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ivy Walls delivers free fruits and vegetables in a neighborhood that lacks healthy food options. After COVID-19 hit, she realized her deliveries were even more important.Illustration by Ard SuWhen Ivy Walls got a message that she was on Beyonce.com for winning a Black Parade Grant, she screamed with excitement. 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