SUSTAINABLE MEMPHIS
By Lucy Harrison Photo by Tindall Stephens
St. Jude Garden & Memphis Tilth Team Up To Provide Produce For Patients
Derived from Old English, the word “tilth” refers to good soil, particularly with respect to sowing seeds. It’s only fitting that this definition is the inspiration behind the local nonprofit Memphis Tilth. Established in 2015, Memphis Tilth is focused on promoting a sustainable, equitable, and environmentally sound local food system. They’ve created many programs to help enhance the local growing economy in Memphis. Most
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notably, they founded Giving Grove, a program that establishes food orchards in neighborhoods throughout Memphis, and the Bring it Food Hub, a produce subscription service that promotes community-supported agriculture. Memphis Tilth also maintains the garden of one of Memphis’s most beloved institutions, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Emily Oppenheimer, 31, is the St. Jude Garden Program Manager at Memphis Tilth. After starting out as a volunteer with the organization in 2016, she began working part time at the St. Jude garden in 2019 and took over as the Program Manager in August 2020. Emily describes the St. Jude Garden as not only a way to bring fresh produce to the campus, but also a small way to bring some brightness and joy to the patients at St. Jude.
