Fighting food insecurity; creating community in 37915
The BattleField Farm story began in the Spring of 2018. Pastor Chris Battle started a Community Garden on the property of the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was during this time that he learned about food disparity and food deserts.
“Your ZIP Code should not determine your ability to access fresh, affordable food,” became the battle cry.
Pastor Battle learned “the USDA states that if 1/3 of your community is living at poverty level and more than a mile away from a grocery store or farmers market you are considered a ‘food desert.’
“These deserts usually affect communities of color. While fast food restaurants, dollar stores and the corner convenient store may flourish in these deserts, they offer no nutritional value to the diet, only providing processed foods.
“People in these deserts suffer from higher rates of obesity, hypertension and diabetes. Why? Lack of access to affordable fresh fruits and vegetables,” Battle posted on his website.
The church and community garden were two miles away from the nearest grocery store and there was no farmers market.
Battle reached out to other pastors who had empty lots and encouraged them to start community gardens. Four churches started such gardens. Battle then contacted Nourish Knoxville about starting a farmers market in the 37915 ZIP Code.
BattleField Farm joined with Women in Agriculture, SEEED and 5 Points Up to start the Eastside Sunday Market that is open every Sunday from 1-4 p.m. from June through September at Dr. Walter Hardy Park.
The Fannie Lou veggie van makes weekly visits
Another innovation is “Fannie Lou,” a mini-bus that has been converted to a veggie van. It is named for Civil Rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. The van takes fresh produce weekly to targeted communities that lack affordable and accessible fresh produce.
At its board of directors’ annual retreat, Pastor Chris Battle shared how United Way’s support has had a deep impact on his work. Pictured are Julie Blaylock, UWGK board member; Pastor Chris Battle, UWGK funded nonprofit partner; Chrystal Armstrong Brown, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Knoxville; and Greg Gheen, board chair, UWGK.
Next: The ONE FIVE Grocery
Created by Battlefield Farm & Gardens, the ONE FIVE is a brick-and-mortar neighborhood market designed to turn scarcity into sustainability. Named after the 37915 ZIP Code it serves and because every item is sold for just a nickel over cost, the ONE FIVE exists to make healthy food truly affordable.
“This neighborhood grocery store (a former Dollar General Store) brings fresh, nutritious and affordable food directly into the heart of the community. Everything on our shelves is fairly priced so families can purchase healthy groceries without overwhelming financial strain,” Battle posted.
“The ONE FIVE is more than a grocery store – it is a community commitment to dignity, access, health and hope. It brings the market to the people who need it most.”
Want to help change a food desert into a food oasis?
One Time Donation to the ONE FIVE grocery store
Recurring Donation to the ONE FIVE grocery store
The present farm, 3624 Boyd’s Bridge Pike, hosts over 40 raised beds, a high tunnel, chickens and bees. Work is done by neighbors and volunteers. Info: P.O. Box 3143, Knoxville TN 37917; 582-888-6572; battlefieldfarm1@gmail.com/.
Seven Islands tags Bobwhite
Bobwhite tagged at Seven Islands
It’s a tough choice: Chris Battle or Bob White, but Battle won out (top of the story).
Rangers at Seven Islands State Birding Park recently tagged its first-ever radio-tagged Northern Bobwhite.
They named him Uno as the adult male was banded and fitted with a radio transmitter.
“Using radio telemetry, rangers can track his daily movements, learn which vegetation communities he prefers, estimate the size of his home range, and locate nesting areas. All of this helps us have a better understanding of what they need to successfully reproduce in the park,” rangers posted.
“This research not only helps the Northern Bobwhite Quail population, which has declined by at least 80% since the 1960s, but also the habitat we build for the quail will ultimately be beneficial for other native grassland-nesting birds and wildlife.
“We evolve our habitat management strategies in coordination with University of Tennessee ag-extension resources, and as our team grows, we continue to see improvements in our park each year.” Stay tuned as Uno and his radio advance through Seven Islands.
Let’s celebrate hummingbirds August 13-15
Ijams Nature Center will celebrate hummingbirds and all other things wings during a weekend of immersive art, hands-on science and conservation Thursday-Saturday, August 13-15.
Artist Lauren Strohacker will install immersive art on Thursday and Friday from 8-10 p.m. Larger-than-life hummingbird projections “Communion” will transform Serendipity and Discovery Trails into an outdoor gallery. Timed-entry tickets are $5.
“A Celebration of Wings,” presented by Wild Birds Unlimited Knoxville, is Saturday, August 15, from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. It features speakers, guided hikes, live animal encounters, hands-on science and art for all ages, and a vibrant marketplace with 50-plus local artists, vendors and makers.
One of the festival’s most popular experiences is the 25-minute bird-banding demonstration. For an additional $6, guests can observe how scientists safely capture, weigh, measure and band a hummingbird or another bird while they learn how banding helps researchers better understand migration, behavior and population change. Each 25-minute demonstration ends with one participant releasing the bird back into the wild.
Festival admission is $12 for adults (13+), $9 for children (5-12), and free for children 4 and under. Bird-banding demonstrations and Communion require additional tickets. Current Ijams members receive a 10% discount on festival admission. Tickets and info here.
PowWows.com is an amazing website for those interested in all things native American. From upcoming gatherings to how-to-make items like an otter turban, the website is worth checking out.
Notes & quotes
The Knoxville Area Urban League’s largest community event – Shoes for School on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Covenant Health Park – will be bigger than ever and in a new location. Talk with a representative about how the event supports local students or donate here.
Back-to-school is sooner than you think: Monday, August 3, is the first day for Knox County teachers; Friday, August 7, is orientation for sixth and nineth graders; Monday, August 10, is first day for students (half day). 2026-27 school calendar here.
Citizens Police Academy for the Oak Ridge Police Department (ORPD) is accepting applications, which are due by Friday, July 31, at noon. Classes will meet weekly, on Thursdays, from August 27 to November 5, from 6-9 p.m., with three optional Saturday field trips. Info here.
Vicki Worley has opened a second site of Hope Springs Adult Day Center in Anderson County at 150 E. Division Road, Suite 7, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Info: 865-272-3178.
Cades Cove is vehicle-free on Wednesdays. Cycle or walk the 11.1-mile loop – sunrise to sunset. You are guaranteed to see stuff that you would never see from a car; plus it’s easier to breathe.
Outdoor Knoxville lists hundred of activities, many free, all outdoors.
Thursday, Aug. 6, is Election Day in Knox County. It’s the general election for county offices – mayor, trustee, sheriff, etc., at-large county commissioners and some district commissioners and school board members. The Republican and Democratic state and federal primaries will also occur – pick one to select nominees for the November general election. Town of Farragut will be electing a new mayor and two members of the board of aldermen. Early voting is underway and ends Saturday, August 1. Info: knoxvotes.org/.
Quote: “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Henry David Thoreau in Walden.
