By the age of seven, Te’Lario Watkins had already started a thriving mushroom business called Tiger Mushroom Farms.
Watkins, now a 16-year-old student in Columbus, recalled how starting a business so young even landed him on television. Tiger Mushroom Farms is still operating today.
"It was a project at first, and then I was on TV," he said. "I was on Steve Harvey when I was seven and so that was very big for seven-year-old me, a little kid."
“I believe that gardening as a community builds a closer bond with the people inside of it. And that's good for overall health in communities and overall wealth of a nation.”
Now, he is operating a highly successful nonprofit called the Garden Club Project, focused on empowering children to grow their own food and build a more sustainable food system.
The Garden Club Project was founded by Watkins in March 2020 to inspire youth in his community.
“I believe that gardening as a community builds a closer bond with the people inside of it," Watkins said. "And that's good for overall health in communities and overall wealth of a nation.”
Since its founding, the nonprofit has distributed over 2,000 pounds of fresh produce. Watkins has also provided children with 300 seed kits and distributed 150 mushroom kits to elementary students.
He works with seven local and urban farmers to boost efficiency and share resources.
"They also are trying to inspire kids to eat healthier and they have their own gardens as well," he said. "They donate their produce to local food banks and then we meet every month and we share equipment. So it's cost effective and we live in close by to the community."
Watkins said teaching the next generation about agriculture is important to supporting the food system.
“Getting young kids involved in it will just breathe more life into the field itself, as well as it being just another opportunity for people to enjoy," he said. "And agriculture can help the community in a lot of ways, and also the environment in a lot of ways.”
Watkins has received multiple awards for his work on the project including the Hormel Food Hero Award, Barron Prize, Points Of Light Award, and a Generation Green Award.
He also received an honorable mention from the International Young Eco-Hero Awards.
"The Eagle Hero Award that I received where I got to talk about, how I believe that kids can go and affect the environment in a positive way," Watkins said. "Just recently, Taco Bell, they they flew me out to California for an event with 50 other kids and entrepreneurs like me."
Watkins said he hopes to continue the Garden Club Project when he goes to college. He plans to attend Ohio State University for agricultural engineering when he graduates high school.
"After that, I want to expand the Garden Club Project as well as my business and just get more out there and talking to more communities, so that I can inspire more kids, as well as build my business up so that I have a stable source of income for the garden club project," he said.
