Germaine H. Jenkins

Germaine Jenkins is a nationally-recognized, visionary leader in the urban agriculture space and a passionate advocate for food justice. Born in Hartsville, SC and raised in Cleveland, OH, Germaine returned to South Carolina in pursuit of liberation for her family through food.

Motivated by her own lived experience of inadequate food access, Germaine was inspired to make a difference in the lives of her neighbors and began working to end the food apartheid she witnessed in her community.

In 2014, she co-founded Fresh Future Farm on a vacant city lot in the middle of North Charleston, where systematic exclusion had led to poor health and wellbeing for her under-resourced community.

Since then, she has led the day-to-day operations and growth of Fresh Future Farm, earning national recognition for her work to grow community health, wealth, and creative placemaking.

Fresh Future Farm continues to make an impact at the local and national levels, serving as an example of how sustainable, urban farming can help end food apartheid and eliminate bureaucracy in community development.

Dress for Success Charleston is a vital part of this community. As a college student, I needed a suit to pass one of my undergraduate classes at Johnson and Wales and with the support of Dress for Success Charleston I passed the class and have aspired to make an impact in my community.

Germaine and her team embody the past, present and future of agriculture. They celebrate and teach ancestral, sustainable practices to not just grow food, but to grow neighborhoods. They provide access to affordable, fresh, and healthy food to those who need it most in their community.

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