This past April, people gathered for a ribbon cutting at a newly erected arch, marking the entrance to Ruby Jean's Garden at 2900 Wabash Avenue in Kansas City. Once an overgrown, abandoned one-acre lot, the space is cleared and ready for planting. The city repaired the sidewalks, and new fencing is in place. Soon, the community can pick free produce and learn about gardening and wellness.
The garden is based on a sweat equity model. To receive the produce requires you to give something back. People can pick up trash, pull weeds, learn how to harvest produce, and care for the fruit trees. Any kind of input into the garden reaps a reward of produce.
Chris Goode, founder and CEO of Ruby Jean's Juicery and the Ruby Jean's Foundation, says, "We're taking power back and giving knowledge, giving access, giving awareness, but it requires an exchange that has to happen. You come and serve, and then take something. Don't just come and take. Come, serve, give, take ownership, and then take."
Goode never had any plans to start a community garden. For the past decade, his focus has been to encourage people to live long and healthy lives by enjoying his company's cold-pressed juice blends and finding ways to support his local community.
Ruby Jean's, the juicery and restaurant at 3000 Troost Avenue, was named after Goode's grandmother, who lived at 3907 Wabash Avenue. Her diet consisted mainly of soul food that included butter and seasoning salt, which contributed to her developing type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, and high blood pressure. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 61 on July 28, 1999.
Goode was just 14 at the time. Even then, he wanted to find a way to honor her. Goode was introduced to juicing as an adult and went on his first juice fast. He was so impressed by how much better he felt that he decided the Juicery would be the perfect way, to not only honor his grandmother, but also break down barriers and make health and wellness more inclusive.
He says, "The unique thing about Ruby Jean's Juicery is that we are a very proud black company, but our audience is its confetti. We exist for all people."
Today, Ruby Jean's juice is found at the Troost location and over 100 Whole Foods locations around the United States, including 301 E 51st Street in Kansas City. The colorful bottles are also available at various stores, coffee shops, and sports complexes around the area.
As the business grew, people started asking Goode to speak to children about his healthy mission. He soon discovered the kids were more interested in drinking juice than in hearing him talk.
That's what inspired his children's book, Ruby Jean's Garden. The book begins with the true story of Ruby Jean, to the point where she goes to the hospital. However, in this tale, she survives, comes home from the hospital, throws out all the bad food in her kitchen, and starts sharing healthy foods with her family. Plus, she creates a free community garden.
Goode notes, "So, this was just an idealistic ending. I had no desire to plant a garden. I just wanted kids to be able to see it as, 'Hey, we love our grandma, and she got sick. How? Oh, too much soul food. And she got better. How? Oh, reformed lifestyle, healthier food, and movement. What does she do with that knowledge? She shared it with her family. And then she shared it with our community."
Soon after writing the book, Goode was approached by his friend, master gardener Philip Ramsey, with the idea for a community garden. And that's how fiction became reality.
"This is all about creating a healthier existence, and that's not just a physical posture," Goode says. "It's also from a cultural perspective. How assets are more culturally aligned with people, and how they identify with the landscape. I think the less trash we have, the more value we place on our own neighborhoods, which makes you innately healthier. It's really all about health, but from a very well-rounded, holistic point of view that far exceeds our physical body."
To learn more, visit RubyJeansJuicery.com and RubyJeansFoundation.com. Copies of Ruby Jean's Garden are available at the Troost location or GoodeChris.com.