Thank you, Sheila Jackson: Champion of Volunteerism, Community Wellness & Land-Based Learning
- MVFP
- Feb 6
- 3 min read
In recognition of Sheila Jackson’s service to Minority and Veteran Farmers of the Piedmont:
With gratitude for her service 💚
As Sheila Jackson concludes her time as Garden Coordinator with MVFP, we want to thank
her for the care, wisdom, and leadership she shared with our community. Her impact will continue to be felt in the gardens she helped grow and the people she inspired.
Sheila Jackson’s work with the Minority and Veteran Farmers of the Piedmont reflects a rare combination of service, stewardship, and deep love for community. Her leadership has strengthened MVFP’s core mission by uplifting families, empowering youth, and reconnecting residents to the land that sustains them.
Sheila is a tireless advocate for promoting volunteerism not as a task but as a way to build belonging. She brings people together across generations, encouraging neighbors to show up for one another and to take pride in the shared work of growing, learning, and caring for their community.
Her passion for growing our own food has inspired countless residents to see gardening not just as a skill, but as a pathway to health, independence, and cultural pride. Sheila teaches that food grown with our own hands nourishes more than the body; it strengthens families, restores confidence, and reconnects us to traditions that have shaped our history.
Sheila’s commitment to engaging youth and families is at the heart of her service. She creates spaces where young people feel valued, capable, and connected to the natural world. Through hands-on learning, she helps youth understand where their food comes from, how to care for the land, and how to carry forward the wisdom of those who came before them.
A gifted educator, Sheila shares her knowledge of herb production and medicinal plants with generosity and joy. She helps community members rediscover the healing properties of the plants around them, blending practical instruction with cultural heritage and personal storytelling.
Her teaching often includes the powerful agricultural legacy of George Washington Carver, whose innovations with peanuts, sweet potatoes, and cotton transformed American farming. Sheila brings these stories to life, showing how Carver’s brilliance, humility, and creativity continue to guide modern growers, especially those reclaiming agricultural traditions in Black and rural communities.
Through every workshop, garden bed, and community gathering, Sheila Jackson embodies the values that define MVFP:
Service rooted in love
Education grounded in culture
Stewardship that honors the land
Community-building that uplifts every generation
Her work is a reminder that when we grow food, we grow people. When we teach, we heal. And when we serve, we strengthen the future. Sheila’s legacy is already visible in the gardens she helped plant, the families she supported, and the young people she inspired. MVFP is stronger because of her leadership, her wisdom, and her unwavering commitment to community wellness.
Read more about Sheila's work with MVFP & the community:
"Children lead the way at Carver Center harvest, garden cleanup." Culpeper Star-Exponent, 20 Nov. 2025
“My Local Inspiration: Sheila Jackson.” Culpeper Star-Exponent, 20 Mar. 2024
“The Carver Center’s Harvest Nourishes the Community and Future Generations.“ SFOP Quarterly Newsletter, Winter 2023
“Sweet potatoes, peanuts and cotton harvest plentiful at Culpeper County's Carver Center.“ Culpeper Star-Exponent, 27 Oct. 2022
“VCE Small Farm Outreach Names 2020 Outstanding Farmer, Volunteer and Agent of the Year.” Virginia Cooperative Extension - Virginia State University, 1 Feb. 2021
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