Tell us about yourself…
My name is LeTicia Marshall and Louisville has been my home for almost two decades. I graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Science degree in Social Work. I currently farm less than a quarter of an acre in Southwest Louisville and raise my young family with my incredible husband Joe.
What have you been working on in your neighborhood?
Currently I am working on a project called the Shively Community Food Park. This project would allow for farmers and community members to activate a 27-plus-acre green space formerly known as the Farnsley Golf Course in Shively, Kentucky.
The idea came about when I learned that two farm organizations, The Food Literacy Project and Gate of Hope Ministries, were asked to leave their eight-acre urban farm off Taylor Boulevard so that the land could be developed. The mission to help them find access to land developed into a collective movement to address multiple issues surrounding food access and land access in Southwest Louisville for farmers and community members.
So, we began dreaming up this concept of a community food park in Shively that could create jobs, activate green space, strengthen unity in the community and begin modeling what the big picture should be: a local, accessible, equitable food system no matter what part of town you live in. In addition to farm fields and community gardening plots, visitors to the Shively Community Food Park will find a multi-purpose event pavilion, picnic tables, serene walking trails, a splash pad, and nature play area. Outcomes of this project include nourishing hundreds of families in the community with fresh produce, improved mental well-being through communing with nature and neighbors, and doors opened for young people into careers in health, education, advocacy, environmental sustainability, agriculture, culinary arts, and more! Can’t you see it?!
How did you get involved in this work?
As a child, I watched my grandparents and great-grandparents work really, really hard on their farm in Metcalfe County, Kentucky. They farmed tobacco, owned a grocery store, and currently own and operate a pay lake. I was working as a social worker and felt I wasn’t doing enough, hadn’t really found my niche, then became a mommy. I decided that I wanted to start a small kitchen garden because I was missing home and just felt that maybe I could get some direction about my life if I did something like gardening to clear my head. After some success with growing and gaining a small following on social media, I started dreaming of a 10-acre market farm that incubated new businesses, created jobs, demonstrated sustainable, regenerative agriculture and gave me a platform to collaborate with others to do something really big in this city.
In 2018, I remember writing a business plan, but I was paralyzed with fear. In July 2020 I decided that it was now or never, and BearFruit & Grow was established. I was coaching others to grow food virtually, due to the pandemic, and learning more about our local food system, and I discovered the issues of food apartheid, food insecurity, and the increasing houseless population were closer to home than I thought. Since 2016, grocery stores that offer fresh produce, milk, eggs, and meat started to close. Now we have no grocery stores that offer these things within our city limits. I decided that I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I began joining local coalitions and organizations that supported urban farmers and who were working together to develop and execute strategies with goal of getting food in neighborhoods. My business evolved quickly and here I am.
What do you love about your neighborhood?
I have been a resident of Shively for a decade and I’ve lived in Louisville for almost two decades. I used to think Louisville was such a large city because I came from rural Kentucky, so everything seemed bigger. But what I found out was that this was the smallest biggest city I had ever seen. Louisville is very special. Everyone can fit in here. There are so many things going on and so many things you can be a part of. Shively offered me some peace and quiet. After living on campus for seven years, I needed to settle down and be in a place that was active, but not too overwhelming. I was ready to start a family and I just felt like Shively was the perfect place to do that. Ten years later I still feel the same way and I would tell anyone that Shively is a great place to live.
What are your hopes for your neighborhood in the future?
Shively has a lot of potential to grow in a ton of different ways. I would love to continue to develop relationships with my neighbors and local government leaders that truly want to see Shively level up. I want to see more collaborative efforts between Shively and other local organizations so we can really live up to the concept of “it takes a village.”
The Shively Community Food Park project could be one way to show the rest of the city, the state, the country, how we can show up for each other and thrive.
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you or your neighborhood?
Shively has a farmers market! I co-manage the Shively Farmers and Artisans Market with Haileigh Arnold. We open June 11th, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will be open on the following dates as well: June 25, July 9, July 23, August 6, August 20, September 3, September 17, October 1, October 15, and October 29 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We are looking for vendors ongoing (farmers, homesteaders, artisans, crafters, performers, food trucks, etc). Please spread the word and come on out! The Market is located at 3920 Dixie Hwy., Shively, KY 40216, rain or shine. For more information or to ask questions please email us at shivelyfarmersmarketky@gmail.com.
Please follow me on IG, FB, and YouTube. You can find all those links and more at www.bearfruitandgrow.com Thank you all for supporting local urban farmers and BIPOC businesses.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to share with you. I’m truly honored to be the May Neighbor of the Month.