A hero both on and off the clock, RN Reggie Marshall balances his career as a nurse at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown with his passion for making fresh produce accessible to Nashvillians of all incomes. Born to a West Tennessee farming family and the youngest of 13 kids, Reggie jokes that he's been farming "since the day I could walk." In fact, Reggie holds two degrees: one in nursing and one in animal science.

Today, he owns two acres of urban farmland in Antioch. After gaining 40 pounds during the pandemic and getting a wakeup call in the form of gallbladder issues that required surgery, Reggie lost the extra weight and dramatically improved his blood pressure by replacing carbohydrates and sugars with healthy foods grown in his own farm. This experience fueled Reggie's desire to make sure that all Nashvillians, regardless of location or income-level, can someday grow their own produce.

Every Wednesday afternoon this summer, you can find Reggie and members of his family selling farm-fresh produce just outside Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown's front entrance on 20th Avenue North. A portion of the proceeds of these sales will fund Reggie's vision of providing every family in the J.C. Napier housing complex with supplies and training to grow their own fresh produce in pots. Reggie's adult daughter, a nurse tech, sells homemade organic candles alongside her dad. Many weeks, black angus beef from Quail Creek Farms is also for sale. Quail Creek Farms also has a healthcare connection: owner Marla Jackson is a recently retired nurse who devoted 25 years to caring for patients at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown.